Fatally Independent
by RenjiLuvah
Summary: Ashelin has always been a dominant and independent woman. When a mysterious assasination threat comes in she refuses to let Torn take it seriously. Who is out to get her & will Ashelin finally let Torn be the man & protect her? SPOILERS Jak X! [AshxTorn]
1. Chapter 1 : Mysterious Letter

**Finally the long awaited Torn and Ash fic that so many of my reviewers have been requesting. It is finally here. I only wrote this chapter and even though I already have the plot planned out and some chapters in my head I don't know how long this story will turn out to be. I don't think it'll be as long as Dangerous Heart but you never know. This story is rated M for language and possible lemon in the future. It's Torn and Ash for Mar's sakes, enough said. This takes place after Jak X. I don't own Jak and co. and I'm tired of saying that BS and that's why in some of my stories I don't bother saying it cause you should already know. Well let me know how it goes. Enjoy AshxTorn Luvahs.**

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**Chapter 1**

She sat at her desk in her large office, surrounded by large windows dressed in burgundy curtains. The carpet was green and it seemed to look more like a library than an office. It was surrounded by Oak wood shelves, infested with books on the history of Haven and it's surrounding areas. There were numerous matching file cabinets with every criminal's identity in a folder. Usually the office was her reserve to do her paper work undisturbed with the exception of Torn and the KG who had urgent news, now named the Freedon League. Usually the missions were carried in and out and once completed, they were recorded into a folder. She usually considered being stuck in the office a good day because she didn't have to load her gun and shoot at something. Yet today was different.

She heard a knock on her door and she looked up to see a middle-aged deliveryman dressed in blue walk in. His brown hair was balding and he had a long curly mustache. He was trembling as the two guards standing at the doors moved aside to let him in. They must've given him a rough time, after all security had to be tight in the palace. Ashelin was the governor of Haven City after all. The man timidly walked up to the desk of the ruby headed woman, glaring up at him with her deep green eyes. She saw the fear in his eyes as he approached the desk and she smiled warmly at him.

"I apologize for the hassle you must've endured to get in here. I will make sure that I speak to my guards about that" She hissed at the two guards at her door and their bodies stiffened with fear.

The man seemed calmer by her warm welcome. "Well actually the guards were fine, it was this other man that gave me most of the trouble"

"Man?"

"Yes, maybe around your age, tattoos on his face and arms and he had an, gulp, intimidating aura about him…"

"Torn" She smiled a bit, Torn was always overprotective of her although she didn't need the protection. She made a memo in her head to speak to him about becoming less strict with the security procedures later.

The deliveryman stuck his hand into the large blue handbag draped over his shoulder full of small packages and large letters. He pulled out a large yellow envelope marked express and priority mail. He handed the letter to Ashelin.

As she grabbed the letter from him she nodded gratefully, "Thank you and once again I apologize for the hassle as your governor"

He nodded back at her and headed toward the exit. She glared at the guards and their bodies still stood stiff at the doors. They didn't dare meet her threatening gaze and when the man turned once again to give her a wave, her snare switched back into a warm smile once again. Once he left she rolled her eyes and waved at the guards to close the large double doors so she can have some privacy.

She observed the large yellow envelope in her hands. She wasn't expecting any mail from anyone and it seemed to be missing a return address. She raised it in the air and looked up at it in the light, trying to see if she could see through the envelope but she couldn't. Finally she pulled out a silver metal opener from her drawer and slashed through the top.

She placed the letter opener back in her drawer and pulled out a white piece of paper from the envelope. She eyed it suspiciously. It was folded in half and she opened it, bringing it closer to her face so that she could read it. She left the yellow envelope on the desk. Her eyes widened as she began reading the mysterious letter and her hands began to tremble. She stared blankly and stunned at the piece of paper in front of her with her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

_Is this for real?_

Her hands began to clench the paper in her hands as she cringed in anger.

_What kind of sick joke is this? Who do they think they're messing with?_

She took a deep breath and continued to read the contents of the letter. Once she had gotten to the conclusion she raised her hand to her mouth in shock. She had finally realized that this was serious. This wasn't a prank.

She got up out of her large burgundy cushion chair and stuffed the letter in her drawer. She quickly made her way to the double doors and opened them, startling the guards outside as they both jumped at her swift actions.

"Anything we can do for you milady?" asked one of the guards to her right.

She turned to him, "That deliveryman, which way did he go?"

"He went down the hall but I'm sure he's out of the building by now," said the guard pointing down the hall, a bit baffled and pondering Ashelin's intentions.

She snarled and mumbled curses under her breath before she headed back into the office, yelling, "That is all" to the two guards outside and they closed the doors behind her.

She plopped back into her chair and swiveled it around to stare out the giant open window that was behind her. You could clearly see the front of the palace and a large view of the city from above. She looked to see the white and blue van from the delivery service driving away.

She shook her head. _He wouldn't have anything to do with this anyway. _

She swiveled her chair back to the desk and looked up briefly, searching the room as if she felt someone would be spying on her. She opened her drawer once again and pulled out the letter. She had to be sure that she read it right. She skimmed the letter again and slammed her fist on the desk, frustrated that she wasn't proven wrong. She wished she were wrong. She wished this were a prank. Yet she couldn't be too sure of anything until she received more evidence and got the letter examined by the forensics dept. or by Samos who may be able to test it and find it's origin. Yet she didn't want anyone else to know, not until she knew herself how serious the situation was.

Suddenly the double doors busted open and her body jumped from being startled. She quickly stuffed the letter into her drawer and slammed it closed. She pushed her seat in and crossed her arms in front of her, trying to keep a calm expression as he approached her. His expression was stern as always as he walked in, his intimidating posture expressing his authority that no one dare rebel against. The guards nodded and closed the doors once he had walked in, leaving the governor and commander alone.

"So what was it?" Torn asked her. His tattooed arms were folded across his chest. He wasn't wearing his FL jacket and instead had a black shirt, cut at the sleeves to reveal his firm biceps.

"What was what?" she looked up at him, hoping her eyes didn't betray what she was hiding. If someone were going to see through her, it would definitely be Torn.

"The delivery guy, I sent him to your office. Said he had something for you"

She stammered nervously, "Oh t-that. That was nothing. Actually it was another one of those letters from the city officials asking for more…" Her sentence trailed off and ended at she stared up at his face, gazing back at her in disbelief.

His blue eyes focused on the open yellow envelope on top of the desk and he arched a brow in suspicion.

_Shit! I forgot to put the envelope away!_

She felt her heart beat steadily increasing as she could sense the uneasiness growing between the both of them. She was never the kind of woman to lie, especially to Torn so doing so was difficult. Hopefully he'd eye the envelope and think nothing of it but she was proven wrong once again.

He reached out to grab the envelope. He lifted it up to examine it in the light as she had done moments ago and noticed the return address missing. All letters from city officials had the return addresses. He smiled slightly at the idea that Ashelin had actually thought she could lie to him and get away with it. He raised the envelope to her view, still one arm crossed over the other.

"City Officials huh?"

She was searching for words until the doors opened once again. She was relieved when one of the guards bowed and timidly spoke. "I apologize for the interruption sir! Milady, Jak is awaiting your presence along with the commander's down in the lobby"

They both nodded and Ashelin got up from the chair. She stood next to Torn and they had returned to their authoritative postures once the guard had walked in. It was very rare that they expressed their relationship openly in front of the guards. They kept their relationship professional at all times to serve as an example. They also didn't want to spark up any talk inside the palace. They felt that it was necessary in order to maintain discipline among the Freedom League and not to express any weakness. They wanted the guards to focus themselves on their work when they were on duty.

"Let him know that we will be there shortly" Torn shooed the guard away and he nodded.

"Yes sir!" He closed the doors and Ashelin walked toward them, hoping to escape the brewing situation between her and Torn. She felt his firm grasp on her elbow as she tried to walk away. He had not forgotten what they were talking about earlier.

"Ashelin, Jak could wait"

She didn't meet his gaze as she firmly replied, "We can speak of these matters at another time commander. Right now the city comes first and there are missions awaiting completion" She gently escaped his grasp and continued to walk away. His eyes widened at her attitude. The only time she addressed him professionally when they weren't on the job was when she was angry. He knew what had to be done although he wished he didn't have to do it this way.

By the time Ashelin headed to the doors and spun around to see if Torn was behind her, Torn had already made his way behind her desk. Her eyes widened and her heart jumped. She reached out to head back over to the desk but it was too late. Torn had pulled the letter out from her drawer and opened it. She stopped in front of the desk and slammed her fist onto the it in anger.

"Must you go through my things?" She snarled at him, hoping to spark a fight that would distract him from reading. He purposely ignored her and read it. His eyes widening as he followed along the black ink written upon the white piece of paper. His brows furrowed in anger as he brought the letter down from his face to reveal his snarling teethe.

"Is this what you were hiding from me!" He waved the paper angrily in front of her. "Do you have any idea what this is Ashelin?"

She crossed her arms in front of her, "It's nothing important. I'm sure it's just some prank"

He laughed almost sadistically, "A prank? You really think this is a prank? Read it Ashelin, this isn't a joke!" He pointed at the words on the paper and she rolled her eyes, avoiding the letter.

"I can take care of myself commander," She hissed at him and he was growing even more furious by the minute.

He slammed his hands onto her desk and looked up at the stubborn woman in front of him. This was not the time to play tough. Now that he had discovered the contents of the letter, he was not about to let this go easily. It wasn't Haven City that he was concerned about or even the fact that she was the governor and it was his main duty to protect her along with the city, it was her that he was concerned about and she refused to see it.

"This is not about-arrgh! This is a threat Ash! A letter threatening to-" It was hard to say the words and he tried not to be so loud, knowing the guards were just outside the doors. He lowered his angry voice slightly as the harsh reality slid from his lips, " to assassinate you!"

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**Oh no! Someone is out to kill Ashelin? That was bound to happen eventually right, after all she has a lot of power and I'm sure she's made plenty enemies with the way she carries herself. So what does the letter say? Who sent it? Will Ashelin stop being so stubborn and accept the seriousness of the situation? Stay tuned folks and review.**


	2. Chapter 2 : Mission Briefing

In case some of you have noticed, I made some slight changes to chapter 1. I was reminded that the KG was now the Freedom League (FL) so that's all I changed. I know the first chapter wasn't so exciting so I hope this one is better. Thank you for the reviews everyone. Here's chapter two. 

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Chapter 2 

Ashelin stood in front of the raging commander with her arms crossed in front of her. They shared an intense glare as the anger rose up inside the room. They stood silent, listening to the heavy breathing of Torn who was trying to control his anger. He clawed at her wooden desk, awaiting some sort of reaction or comment from the crimson-headed woman. Ashelin finally turned away from him, facing the exit and just before she walked off, she turned her head to him. He had stood up from her desk, his blue eyes furrowed in anger at her stubbornness.

"If someone has the balls to try and kill me then I'll be sure to meet them halfway, with my gun in their face" She opened the doors and stopped again, "Give Jak his briefing on the mission I had for him, I'm going upstairs" She clenched her fists at her sides as she swiveled her hips out of the room. She didn't bother to look back at Torn's angry glare still on her.

Torn stood staring at the open doors where she had just stormed off. He growled to himself as he looked down at the letter still clenching in his grasp. He sighed in frustration as he headed to the guards outside the office. They both stiffened and felt the nervous sweat begin to build up as they had realized the angry glare on their commander's face. They knew he was intimidating to begin with but when he was angry, there was no telling what he was going to do to them.

"Atten-hut!"

"Yes sir!" They both stomped and raised their hands to their heads in respect to their commander's voice.

"I want you to go up to Ashelin's room and stand guard. Don't ask me why and make sure she does not see you. Whatever you do, do not let her out of your sight until you are given further instructions"

One of the guards was about to open his mouth in question but quickly snapped shut upon Torn's snarl.

"Is there something you want to say private?"

The man began to tremble slightly and somehow managed to answer him in barely a whisper, "S-sir, what if she needs to use the bathroom?"

"I don't care. Do not let her out of your sight and if you do your asses are mine! Now go!"

The two men quickly scrambled at the tone of Torn's roaring voice and headed down the hall to the staircase. Torn shook his head as he watched the two guards run up the stairs to head to Ashelin's room. He stared down at the almost crumbled piece of paper in his hands before deciding to close the doors behind him and meet Jak downstairs. He wasn't going to disobey Ashelin; he'd give Jak his briefing, except it would be on a different mission. He didn't care what Ashelin would think of him afterwards, it comforted him knowing that Jak would probably agree with his decision and gladly offer help.

"What the hells takin' 'em so long? Personally I'd rather be back at the Naughty Ottsel with Tess than waiting here in the lobby just so we can become metal meat" Daxter was ranting on as usual as he sat next to Jak impatiently.

Jak rolled his eyes and leaned back on his arms underneath his head. "Relax Dax. This is the fun part of the day remember?" Jak gave Daxter a friendly pat on the back.

"Fun part! Hah! I'm tired of risking my life all the time. I'm a precursor. I should be getting worshipped or something and what do I get instead? I get to ride on your shoulder and dodge bullets!" Daxter's loud voice echoed in the long hall of the lobby. It was full of framed pictures and flags hanging from the ceiling. Tall green plants hugged the six gray columns in the long room and a long burgundy carpet led its way up to a large empty chair. Some cushioned burgundy chairs were scattered throughout the room. Jak closed his eyes and was about to doze off in one of the chairs until he heard the loud slamming of the large entrance doors.

Daxter hopped onto Jak's shoulder as he got up, heading toward a very upset looking commander. He eyed the crumbled piece of paper in Torn's fisted hand and noticed Ashelin was missing.

He formed a half smile as he crossed his arms in front of him, "Trouble with the lady commander?"

Torn did not bother to pursue Jak's sarcastic comment. He quickly walked past Jak heading towards one of the chairs and beckoned Jak to follow. Jak knew by the expression on his face that this was serious and there was no time to joke. He obeyed and sat next to Torn, both him and Daxter listening intently.

Barely without a word, Torn handed the paper to Jak, "Read this to yourself" Jak nodded as he rested his elbows on his knees to read the letter, Daxter read with him over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he read through it, a reaction that they had all shared.

_Ashelin Praxis_

_Once again we have crossed paths, except this time it will end in your death. Haven City will no longer be under your rule all in due time. I'd advise you to cherish the remaining time of your life before it is over. Don't try to escape; the city and its surrounding areas have eyes and ears._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Demise_

He calmly handed the threatening letter back to Torn.

"So what's Ashelin have to say about it?'"

"She's not taking it seriously. She's being stubborn…as always"

Jak shook his head in agreement, "Does she know that I'm reading this?"

Torn shook his head, "No she doesn't. She thinks I'm briefing you on a different mission but Ashelin's a smart girl. I'm sure she knows but she can't change my mind"

"So what can we do?"

"I need you to take this letter to Samos and tell him to analyze it right away. I'd like the results by tonight if possible" Torn folded it and gave it to Jak. Jak put it in his pocket and nodded.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm heading to the Haven City post office to find the guy that delivered it. The envelope didn't have a return address but they should at least know if it came from within the city or elsewhere"

"Alright then, I'll head over to Samos and be back as soon as I can," the blond elf hopped onto his Jet board with Daxter and glided out of the room with a wave.

Torn stood silent and alone in the now empty room. His stern expression softened as a look of worry replaced it. He sighed as he whispered her name under his breath, "Ashelin". It had been two years of his ongoing relationship with the governor. She was 22 and he was 28 at the time, a big age difference but the woman knew how to handle herself. That's what had attracted him to the dominant woman in the first place but now it was the one thing he wished she wasn't. They had a silent agreement where neither of them really wore the pants and neither of them ever complained. They liked being equal status to one another. Yet this time was different, he wanted to protect her. Whoever was after her just wants her and no one else. He wasn't just going to stand there and let her handle it herself. He couldn't bear the thought of what he'd do with himself if something would happen to her. He had known her a few years before they got together when he was in the KG. She was his best friend, the woman who always had his back and now the woman he couldn't see himself without. He wished she realized this.

He shook his head in defeat and then decided to head on over to the post office so he could be back as soon as possible. Thoughts of apology clouded his worrisome mind.

_I'm sorry Ash, but I need to find out who's after you? _

Ashelin watched the tattooed figure head over to the vehicle parked outside the palace. She stood leaning against the red curtains of the large glass window as she watched him. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion as he drove away. She had seen Jak speed off on his Jet board just before Torn had come out. The mission that she had given him was to head over to Spargus and deliver a message onto Sig about their Eco supply. In order to maintain peace within the surrounding cities they traded goods and Eco between them. Usually Jak wouldn't ride on his Jet board unless the place he was headed was nearby. He obviously wasn't heading in the direction of Spargus.

She pondered where Torn could possibly be heading but an answer did not come to mind.

_I still don't think it's that serious. It's not like I haven't had people hate me before. _

She smirked at the thought of how many people she had made enemies with in the past, especially other woman who were either envious or disgusted by the way she carried herself because she wasn't a dainty pink pretty girl.

_I won't stand around and wait for things to happen Torn!_

She turned to look at the entrance to her bedroom. She knew they were there. They weren't very good at hiding the way they stumbled up the steps as if they were running from Torn. She shook her head to herself.

_And I can't tolerate these two guards on my ass all day!_

Finally she unfolded her arms and walked toward the door. She quickly pulled it open and the two guards jumped from being startled. They hadn't realized that she was approaching and didn't have the time to hide. She stepped out in between the two frightened guards.

"I'm leaving now, do not follow me!" She barked at them.

One of the guards managed to stammer, "B-but governor, we were told to stand gua-"

"I don't care. My authority rides over the commander's, do you understand?"

They both stomped in unison as they raised their hands to their heads, "Yes mam!"

She walked down the hall and yelled back, "Stay put and speak of this to no one"

"Yes mam!"

Her curvy figure vanished down the hall as the guards watched her leave. The released their respectful stances and exhaled in relief.

"Oh man, I don't like this. The commander's gonna have our heads" informed one of the guards as he spoke to the other.

The other guard simply shrugged, "Well she was right, she does out rank the commander. I wonder why we were told to watch her anyway"

"Who knows, but whatever the reason, our lives are still at the mercy of our commander once he gets back"

They both shook their heads in defeat, awaiting the consequences that would come once their commander would return.

_Where is that crazy woman going_, one of them thought. He had a bad feeling brewing deep in his gut and little did he know that he should've trusted his instincts.

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**So was it a bit more suspenseful? Ehh I feel like I don't have as much drive with this story as I did with the others when I start them. I mean what I plan to make happen in the story, it's gonna get really good but right now since it's just starting off there's not much action or drama yet. I know I'm planning to have certain characters make cameo appearances (I won't tell Lol) and I can't wait till I get to the action scenes. So what will happen when Torn gets to the post office and where is Ashelin going? What will the results from Samos bring? Please review and keep on reading.**


	3. Chapter 3 : Post Office

**The first mystery cameo character will be announced in this chapter YAY although he won't be in person yet. I was so disappointed in myself for not updating as often as I usually do with this story and writing it the way that I did that the chapter 2 I already wrote, I fixed up and this chapter I'm going to put more effort into it. I know I can do better and that's why I'm gonna give this story my all just like the other ones. That's why it took long but now you got two chapters, this one and the last one. Hope you like.**

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**Chapter 3**

Howard stared outside the large glass windows of the Haven City post office. It wasn't a fairly busy day and the weather was nice and sunny. With the exception of the hassle he received at the governor's palace, all deliveries went well. The image of the firm faced, tattooed muscle man entered his mind and he shuddered. He was not someone he wanted to deal with again. He decided he'd avoid deliveries to the palace from now on.

He brushed his hand through the sweat on top on his balding head, scratching the thin strands of brown hair surrounding it. His shift would be over soon and he was thankful. He adjusted the white name pin on the right side of his navy blue jacket and crinkled his nose as his mustache wiggled. He had been in the job for over a decade and even though it wasn't the most high paying job, he was proud to work there. His wife had suggested to retire soon but he was content with where he was in life…or so he thought until he saw a familiar figure in front of the post office.

The sound of screeching tires caused everyone in the post office to jerk their heads toward the sound and see what the commotion was about. The brown braided, tattooed man stepped out of the vehicle and adjusted his shirt with authority. You could see the shine of sweat compliment his threatening firm arms and the black jagged lines upon them. Howard's eyes widened in fear as he watched him. He trembled at the front counter before running to the back door on instinct. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong but he'd do anything in order to avoid crossing that man's path again. He slammed the door behind him and hid against the wall beside the door.

The bell jingled as Torn opened the door. He noticed the baffled stares upon him and decided to force on a welcoming smile. He calmly walked up to the young woman at the counter. She wore the same uniform as the deliveryman from earlier and her blond hair was pinned up. Soft stray strands fell over her sharp hazel eyes and her pale creamy skin. A flirtatious grin spread across her pink lips at the sight of the strong sweaty man in front of her. Torn began to grow nervous once he noticed this but he knew he had to keep his focus on what he had come here for.

"Now what can I do for you handsome?" she winked at him and he laughed nervously.

_Ashelin would kill me if I even dared… _"U-umm well you see, there was a package delivered earlier to the governor in the palace and-"

Her eyes lit up. "Oh the palace you say, so are you one of the guards there?" She batted her long eyelashes at him and his cheeks began to grow shades of pink.

"Y-yeah but listen," Torn cleared his throat and got serious, "I really need to know where the deliveryman is that delivered it"

"Sure, he just ran to the back a few minutes ago but-" She was about to tell him that he was not authorized to go back there unless he was an employee but he had already jumped over the counter and slammed the door open. "Umm b-but sir…" She called out to him but he didn't listen.

Howard's body jumped as the door jolted open. He trembled in fear as he saw the shadow of the threatening figure. He let out a squeal once the commander went around the door and locked eyes with the feeble man. Torn grabbed the collar of his shirt and growled.

"Why are you hiding like you got something to hide?"

The man raised his hands in defeat, "C-commander, I swear I didn't mean to. I haven't done anything"

Torn observed the fear in the man's eyes and realized he was telling the truth. He gently put him down and brushed the man's shoulders off.

"Sorry I was a bit rough but I need to know where that letter was sent from" He tried to sound calm so that he wouldn't strike more fear into the deliveryman. It didn't seem to have too much of an effect but that wasn't his fault. Some people were not used to Torn's hoarse voice and were intimidated by it even when he was friendly.

"U-um well I'll go check right now" The man scrambled toward the machines that were rolling numerous envelopes back and forth on sliding black platforms. There was a computer connected to each one. He began to type something and Torn leaned against the doorframe. It seemed that the woman up front had given up trying to get him out and returned to her work.

"W-well we don't have an address but we know it came from Kras City. I'm sorry but that's all we know" He looked up at Torn and he nodded. He walked up to the man and gave him a friendly pat on the back, which almost sent him falling over. "Thanks," He looked at his name pin, "Howard. You're not such a bad guy after all" and he walked out of the room with a wave. Howard waved back in surprise as he thought to himself; _Maybe I am getting too old for this job._

Torn hopped over the counter and the woman up front gasped in delight. Torn turned to nod at her goodbye and she waved, "Come back anytime commander. I'll be waiting"

Torn shook his head at her comment with a grin and walked outside to hop back in his vehicle. He hit the gas and drove off toward the palace with suspicions and questions picking at his head.

_Nah, it couldn't be. Mizo's dead. Jak killed him so it can't be him? Then again we thought Erol was dead too and he wasn't. Aww I don't wanna have to deal with another cyborg freak. What about Rayn? Even though we seem to have parted in good terms after the races but I can't say I completely trust her. Anything that comes out of Krew can't be trustworthy. Maybe Kras City isn't enough for her; maybe she wants control of more. But would she go as far as an assassination attempt on Ashelin? Ashelin was pretty bitchy with her so who knows, she wouldn't be the first woman whose felt like killing her. _

He stepped on the gas harder as he began to worry about Ashelin. Once he arrived at the palace, he stomped his way up the stairs quickly towards her room. To his unpleasant surprise, he saw the two guards he had assigned to watch her, dozing off beside her doors on the floor. He snarled as he balled up his fists and quickly ran up to them, giving them both a rude awakening upper cut.

They both screeched in pain and were about to mumble curses until they saw who it was that had punched them. They drew back against the wall in fear and stood up. Torn slammed the doors to her room open to realize it was empty. His eyes widened with something no one had ever seen before…fear. He quickly replaced his fearsome look back to his threatening one as he turned back to the guards for an explanation.

"Sh-she said she was leaving and she didn't want us to follow," said one guard.

"She said that her authority, gulp, outranked y-yours" the other one finished.

Torn seemed as if he were going to punch them again but decided it wasn't worth it. He clenched his fists at his sides, "You idiots! Didn't you guys read the damn hand books during training?" They gave him a baffled look and shook their heads. "My authority outranks hers whenever she is in danger! It is my duty to lead all of you fools and protect her along with this godforsaken city!"

The men trembled in his presence and Torn sighed in frustration. He surprised them both when he put a reassuring hand on each of their shoulders, "I'm sorry guys, I apologize. It was my fault. I didn't inform you that she was in any kind of danger. You couldn't have known"

They raised their heads in question, "Danger sir?"

"Yes, I will arrange a meeting with all of the FL in the area to tell you guys the details. We have received a letter of assassination against her and all I know is that it came from Kras City. Apparently there are spies most likely in the city, waiting to finish her off"

Their eyes widened in shock. They had never experienced anything like this. This was different from fighting metal heads or KG. It was protecting the city's governor.

Torn picked out a crumbled wad of money from his pocket and threw it at one of them who caught it in his hands. "Your shift is over, go treat yourselves to a drink. I can arrange the meeting myself"

Before Torn could walk away they called out to him. They blocked his path and brought their hands to their heads in respect, "I'm sorry sir but we'll have to object! We'd like to help you arrange the meeting if that is alright with you sir!"

"We are here to protect and to serve sir!"

Torn smiled at them despite the worry tugging at his heart for the missing woman. "Alright men, that's what the Freedom League is about! Now let's get moving but first I need to call one of my main men" He pointed at the walkie talkie on one of the guards waists, "Call downstairs and tell 'em to get me Jinx fast!"

Ashelin looked up to the sapphire night sky as she drove through Haven. She felt the wind chill her tanned skin. She had taken longer than expected. She had decided to visit Vin and have him look up some of the possible suspects. She left the palace so lost in her anger and didn't realize that she didn't have a clue where to start. Vin had to look through numerous lists of possible enemies and prison breaks or bails. At the end she decided that it was a pointless trip until she had more evidence. Any man that followed her father and any man put behind bars under her orders hated her. Anyone she shot missiles at during the races hated her. Any woman that got near Torn or dared to insult her hated her. She sighed to herself; _Maybe I do need an attitude adjustment…nah._

Suddenly without warning she felt it. Her body stiffened with awareness. She was being followed. She didn't want to look back and give away that she knew of his presence. Every turn she had made since Vin's and every road she had crossed, it seemed a vehicle had been following her. It was a fairly deserted night and it was too much of a coincidence that the same car would be going the same route as her.

At the next corner she made a sharp screeching turn and stepped on the gas full speed. She heard the screeching tires of the vehicle behind her doing the same. It was after her. She increased speed and made another sharp turn. Sparks flew from her tires as she swerved around furiously and the mystery driver was still on her.

_Dammit! Only another racer could drive this good!_

She pulled the lever and released a Red Eco bomb. The driver swerved around it. She mumbled curses under her breath. Finally at the next corner she yanked her steering wheel all the way, causing a harsh U-turn and screeching metal echoed in the empty streets. She slammed the brakes as soon as she was facing the driver and her eyes widened once she saw his identity.

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**Cliffhanger! So am I getting my drive back? I hope so cause I stood up till like four in the morning to submit these two chapters. So Jinx is gonna come in the story Yay! I had almost forgotten who he was because I kept seeing his name in other fics and I was like Jinx, who's that? Since you only see him once or twice in Jak II and Jak III. Then once I realized it I'm like Duh I can't believe I forgot about him so I'm putting him in my story to make up for it. Don't worry there will be more cameos coming. Stay tuned and review!**


	4. Chapter 4 : Raging with Worry

**Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing mecca-dog, Luv2Game, Jak fan, DL-Cinny-La-Mejor, StormPhoenix and Ecohorse. It really helps because I didn't really feel as much confidence as with my other stories if ppl would like this one but the reviews are helping. I notice the reviewers who review for more than one of my stories and it encourages me knowing I'm getting "regular" fans that read my work. Well back to the drama and the person out to get Ashelin is probably someone no one expects. I did that on purpose, why make it easy to guess::wink: Also 13 hundred hours is 1 pm.**

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**Chapter 4**

Ashelin squinted her eyes as her vision began to focus on the driver's identity. The gray smoke from the sparks emitted from their tires began to clear between them. She fanned away some of the smoke with her hand, trying to make out the familiar figure coming out of his red and white vehicle. Her jade eyes widened and her jaw hung. She clenched the steering wheel as the figure came closer. She felt like she had been caught cutting school or something.

_Oh shit! I'm in for it now! Shit!_

He crossed his arms against his chest as he shook his head at her. His green eyebrows furrowed in concern. "If I was the assassin, you'd be already dead for being so hard headed"

"Yeah you gotta death wish or something!" Daxter added, slumped over Jak's shoulder lazily. He seemed tired and irritable.

She exhaled in relief, "Shit Jak, I thought you were the assassin!"

"Well once I saw you I figured it would be safe to follow you in case. You shouldn't be out here Ash…" His voice showed concern for her. She hated feeling like she needed to be protected, like she needed to be watched as if she were a child.

"I'm not a child Jak. I can go where I please" Ashelin unexpectedly lashed out at him and turned her head away from his glaring eyes. "I didn't need a bodyguard before I met you and I didn't need one before I met Torn, I sure as hell don't need one now…" Her voice softened at the ending of her sentence. Torn must be worried as hell about her and she wasn't looking forward to what would be awaiting her in the palace. Still she felt no guilt for what she had done. She was a grown woman and she knew how to handle herself. She didn't need a man for anything.

Jak brought his hand to his crinkling forehead as he shook his head, ashamed of her behavior. He decided it wasn't worth arguing the point with the hotheaded woman. He knew he wouldn't win anyway. It was better that Torn knock some sense into her. He walked back to his vehicle in silence as Ashelin turned to glare at his back. She almost wanted to apologize for lashing out on him even though he was only doing what he thought was best. Her pride held her back her apologies and she bit her bottom lip to reinforce it.

"I'm heading that way anyway so I minus well keep following" He seemed serious now, maybe even angry with her. She pretended not to notice.

She slowly made a U-turn and drove toward the palace with Jak trailing behind her in silence. As the large palace came into view she felt her heart begin to jump. Fear was gnawing at her insides and her stomach began to churn. She felt the warm nervous sweat beginning to layer her palms as she gripped her steering wheel. A part of her was beginning to regret leaving the way she did. She should have at least told Torn even if he tried to stop her. Still she decided that no matter what she'd stick to her firm decisions.

"Atten-hut!" Torn yelled into the bustling crowd of guards and soldiers assembled in front of him. They had all gathered in the main lobby. His husky voice echoed as he yelled for their attention and at the sound of his voice, they all stepped in lines and stomped in unison, raising their hands to their heads.

"Yes sir!" Their respectful roars echoed the large hall and Torn took a moment to pace and observe his soldiers. All their attention was focused on him and the room was silent with the exception of everyone's breathing. He turned to look back at Jinx, the blond headed man was leaning against the wall behind him, clouds of gray smoke spilling from his cigar. He nodded at Torn to continue and Torn nodded back. He returned his attention to the guards.

"At ease" All the soldiers released their stiff stances in relief and brought their attention to their commander. "The Freedom League, as you may know, after the Baron's rule was over along with the KG, we were assembled to protect this city and everyone in it. Now even though you may all rank differently, because of this current situation, that doesn't matter. We will all participate with the mission I have for you"

The guards all looked at him with curiosity, waiting to hear more details. Some of the guards had complained they needed more action and this was the big break that they were waiting for. Some of them complained that they needed a less tense job and this was also the mission they had awaited. However no one ever expected the kind of mission that Torn was about to announce.

"Now as you may know, we have peace treaty with the surrounding cities and we maintain this peace by trading goods and Eco. If one city were to violate our lands or laws in anyway, it can cause a war. This morning at approximately 13 hundred hours, an assassination threat against Haven's governor Ashelin Praxis was received"

Murmurs and stunned gasps filled the room at the mention of this and Torn motioned for everyone to quiet down again so that he could continue. He cleared his throat.

"We do not have the details yet on where the assassin may be from but we suspect they may be from Kras City and they may have spies already lurking in our city. We cannot jump to conclusions until we obtain more evidence so for now, our first priority is to protect the governor. I'd like all of you to continue your daily duties, especially those on guard duty and pay special attention to anything you may find suspicious. I will be assigning some of you guard watch for the governor and to follow every piece of mail and every package that comes in and out of this palace. The moment any of you find something suspicious, immediately radio it in even if you're off duty. This is not just about protecting our governor, but the heart of this city and our strong willed laws established because of her. We cannot allow the stronghold of this city to falter after the time it took us to rebuild and re-establish after the war a year and a half ago"

He looked up at his soldiers, some who had removed their helmets to show their supporting and firm expressions. He nodded, obviously pleased with the firm wills he had trained into these men.

He brought his eyes to the back of the lobby to spot the ruby headed woman walking in with Jak trailing behind her. The soldiers didn't notice because their focus was on their commander. Jak leaned on the doorframe, accompanied by the orange ottsel on his shoulder. He gave a reassuring wave for Torn to continue. Ashelin didn't meet Torn's gaze as she crossed her arms in front of her, standing next to Jak.

Torn shook his head slightly, almost forgetting that he was making an important speech to the Freedom League. He tried to keep his focus on finishing up, trying to tame the rage beginning to erupt within him.

"I will be updating you all on new evidence when it is received and changes in your duties depending on that as well. Those who will have to work over time will be paid for over time so let that be the least of your worries" Torn smiled and the soldiers laughed at his comment.

He shook his head, "Alright men, return to your duties as of today and tomorrow I will be calling some of you to explain strategies and duties only assigned to those individuals. Also, just to make it completely clear so there is no mistake, if you read the handbooks from your training, my authority overrides the governor's when she is in danger," He glared purposely in Ashelin's direction and she scowled at him in reaction, "Good luck men and let us hope for the best. You are free to go"

The crowd of men began to break apart and scatter in different directions. Numerous chattering voices filled the room as they moved about. Some were going home, some still had work to do and some had decided to stay on free will and help anyway they could. The men nodded at their governor in respect as they passed her and shuffled by. As the room slowly emptied out, Jak began to walk toward Torn and Jinx still in the front of the lobby, sharing a personal conversation. Ashelin hesitated to follow but she eventually did.

"Hey Jaky-boy, long time no see again. It's been a while ey?" Jinx gave Jak a friendly shake on his shoulder as he inhaled another puff of his cigar. He exhaled the gray smoke in Daxter's direction.

"Hack hack cough cough!" Daxter fanned away the smoke obviously annoyed. It seemed Jinx did this on purpose to mock the ottsel. Daxter curled his lip in disgust and a sly smile spread across Jinx's face.

Jak nodded at Jinx and walked up to Torn, putting his arm on his shoulder to lead him away from Ashelin's prying ears. Torn beckoned Jinx to follow and Ashelin rolled her eyes in disgust. She unfolded her arms and dug her nails into her palms. She felt the anger rising and her blood boiling as she watched them. She was the governor for Mar's sakes and they were talking amongst themselves as if they were members of a boy's club that she was banned from.

The three men huddled close as they spoke, Daxter leaning in and perked his ears up to listen. Jak took out a piece of paper from his pocket and the crumbled letter, bringing it to the center of their circle.

"Samos found a fingerprint, he made a copy on here so that you could send it to Vin and have him search through his records" Jak handed the letter and piece of paper to Torn and he quickly glanced at the black swirls on the paper. He shook his head deciding he was unfamiliar with the fingerprint and put both papers in his pocket.

"I went to the post office and found out the origin of the letter. It came from Kras City but the exact destination is unknown" Jak's eyes widened as he whispered after him in question, _Kras City?_ Torn continued, "Yeah so Jinx here does missions for me outside the city and he obtains various information. He says the last time he'd been in Kras, he heard rumors that Rayn seemed to be having a bit of a power struggle with the other crime lords. We're not sure if it might have anything to do with Ashelin's threat but we need you to go check it out"

"So you want me to meet up with Rayn?" Jak asked.

"Yeah, meet up with her and see if she spills her guts. Also I need you to do some spy work and see what you could find out from elsewhere, that's where Jinx comes in" Torn pointed to Jinx and he nodded in approval. Jak raised a suspicious brow at him, he was used to working alone. Jinx noticed this and he smiled, putting a firm hand on Jak's shoulder.

"Don't worry Jaky, I got ya covered. Piece a cake" He winked at him and Jak nodded.

"You guys can head out tonight and stay at the Inn till morning. I'll be expecting you guys to radio in at least by tomorrow night with something"

Ashelin stared at the three men avoiding her. Daxter had turned to glance briefly at Ashelin and his eyes widened at the sight. Her death-threatening glare sliced through him and sent a shiver up his spine. His small furry body began to tremble as he saw her step forward. He opened his mouth to warn them but the words got choked up in his throat from fear.

Ashelin pushed through Jak and Jinx, breaking apart their private huddle. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, "Listen, I don't care what you think you have to hide but as governor of Haven City and the target of this threat, I deserve to know what the hell you're talking about!" Her head waved with her attitude and Jak and Jinx stood speechless. They watched as Torn's gaze met Ashelin's and they burned into one another. It was an awkward moment.

Torn finally sighed from frustration and obviously irritated by Ashelin's behavior. However he couldn't deny the fact that she did deserve to know. "I'm sending Jak and Jinx to Kras City to get some info because that's where the letter came from. I got a fingerprint from Samos and I'm planning to take it to Vin for some more examining. That's all we know and that's all we're planning as of right now"

Ashelin arched her eyebrow at him in disbelief, "Is that all?"

Torn spat through his gritted teethe, "Yes governor, that is all"

Jak and Jinx slowly backed away from them. "U-uh yeah so we'll radio in tomorrow so uhh-" Jak spoke nervously because of the intense moment they were escaping.

Jinx helped to finish his sentence; "Yeah so we'll catch ya later" They both spun around and almost darted out of the lobby. The slam of the entrance doors echoed in the hall as Ashelin and Torn continued to stare at each other. The silence began to build up until Torn couldn't take it anymore. His fists were trembling with all the rage he had been holding in and his knuckles were pale from clenching so hard.

"Where the hell have you been!" Torn yelled. You could see the bulging veins from his tattooed forehead and his jaw popping with rage.

"You watch your tone with me!" She unexpectedly walked up to him and pointed her finger near his nose. "I don't care if you're my commander or other things but don't you dare talk to me that way!"

He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued to stare down at her. They were inches away and usually times like this when they argued, they'd end up on the floor attacking each other with their angry lust. However this time was different. He was so angry and he knew if he even tried to touch her, she'd probably kick him in the groin. They breathed heavily as she released her accusing finger from his face.

"I went to Vin's. It was a pointless trip but now that we have the fingerprint, something should come up in his records" She tried to sound calmer as she looked away from him, crossing her arms once again.

Torn stood speechless. He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to throw her against the wall and scream. Tell her how worried he was and how she can't be doing this to him. He wanted to reach into the depths of his soul and tell her that his life depended on her. That he couldn't live without her and he never meant to hurt her or make her angry. He just wanted her to be safe and be with him for as long as time would allow. His face softened as he looked at her. He looked at her crimson hair and her green eyes. Her full rose colored lips and the curves of her face. Suddenly an urge overwhelmed him and he couldn't resist it any longer.

Without warning he roughly pulled Ashelin into his arms. She opened her mouth to protest but said nothing as she felt his arms clutching around her body. She stood stiff, unsure of what the hell got into him. He leaned his head on her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "I was- I was worried about you Ash…"

Her body relaxed as she raised her arms to embrace his back. She leaned her head on his firm shoulder and whispered back, "I know" Ashelin wasn't the kind of woman who'd apologize but what she said was enough for Torn. They stood locked in embrace with the silence surrounding them, not caring about their image or if any of the guards would see them. They held onto each other, letting their anger slowly subside due to each other's warmth.

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**Long chapter huh? I didn't want to end it there but it was getting too long and I wanted to update my story already. I didn't even plan the hug at the end but it just happened. Hope you liked it. I gotta write the next chapter, I promise it'll only get better. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5 : Kras City Visit

**Expect a bit of action in this chap. Things are getting intense!**

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**Chapter 5**

Jak walked into the Bloody Hook, the familiar stench of cigar smoke, liquor and motor oil filled the air. He searched the room through the thick clouds of smoke and found what he was looking for sitting at the bar. The man's long elfish ears had been harshly ripped off and his head was covered in orange hair that matched his goatee. He had an unidentifiable black tattoo encircling his left eye. He approached the man sitting on a stool and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around and automatically growled at Jak but Jak spoke before he had the chance to lash out at him.

"Take me to your boss!" Jak snarled at Shiv.

"Why should I?" He gritted his teethe as he grabbed the collar of Jak's racing jacket.

"Because I have some info that may be of use to her" He tried to sound believable as Shiv searched his eyes in question.

"And why should I believe anything you're saying?" The thug raised his brows at him.

"Because if I was a threat, your boss would've killed me by now"

"Yeah that's right!" Daxter poked Shiv on his forehead and Shiv looked up to growl at the orange ottsel. He scurried back behind Jak's head to hide.

Shiv finally released his deadly grip on Jak, deciding that he believed what he was saying. If Jak were a threat, the boss would've killed him just as Mizo had wanted to do. It seemed Jak and his crew had some mutual understanding with the boss. As long as they didn't cross each other's paths or disrupted the order too much, they wouldn't stop one another. After the races they all parted ways and left it at that. Shiv wondered to himself why Jak would want to come back after he escaped the grasps of the deadly combat sport.

Jak followed closely on the black intertwining roads in his red and white Falcon. He followed Shiv's vehicle through Kras City. Jak felt the setting sun burning on top of his blond hair and the cool breeze coming in as he drove. He observed the surroundings in case he needed to come back to the place. Finally they arrived in a secluded city street. Some of the streetlights were broken and there was a yellow neon sign flickering to the entrance of a lounge. He had never seen it before during the races but he guessed there was a reason for that as he saw the numerous racing vehicles and motorcycles parked in front. _Members only huh?_ Jak thought to himself as he followed Shiv to the entrance. There was only a large window covered by blue curtains and the wooden door. It seemed like a classy place for a hangout belonging to the thugs in Kras City. Shiv knocked on the door and a small slot opened in the door. A pair of brown eyes peeked through and observed the both of them.

"Open up, it's me Shiv"

"Why's he with ya?" asked the husky voice behind the door. Jak could tell that the voice belonged to a face that must've been snarling in anger.

"Says he's got some info for the boss" Shiv replied, pointing back at Jak.

The person behind the door seemed to hesitate at first, taking into deep thought what Shiv had just said. Finally the pair of eyes nodded and the slot slammed close. They heard the jingling and slight cracking of the locks being unlocked and the mystery person opened up the door.

Shiv and Jak walked into the establishment as Jak observed his surroundings once again. He glared at the person who had opened the door who was also glaring at him, still with suspicion in his eyes. He recognized the brown eyes from the door slot and they matched with the man's hair. He had driving goggles wrapped around his neck and wore a green vest. Jak remembered his name from the list of racers during the racing events, Edje.

The place smelled just like the Bloody Hook, smoke, liquor and motor oil. However there was one more scent that he couldn't quite make out. He stared around the classy lounge, searching for the smell. The bar was in front of him. He looked toward the window next to the door behind him that had about three blue sitting booths by it and flowersclear glass vases_. What the- is that flowers on the tables? Yellow flowers? On white doilies?_ Jak shook his head and tried not to grin. _Must be Rayn's touch on the place. _He thought to himself as he continued to observe the snarling faces of those glaring at him. Jak checked off the familiar faces in his head that he must've shot at during the races and shot them a little smirk to piss them off. Against the wall by the booths were golden-framed photos of the Krew family line. His eyes went directly to Krew's picture and Daxter cringed in disgust at the familiar mug.

"Ewwh, and just when I thought I'd never see that face again. Boy was he the ugliest, fattest, most digu- stah-blah-uh…" Daxter's words turned to gibberish when he saw the British woman pop out in front of them with her arms crossed over her chest. She gave Daxter an evil eye and Daxter quickly changed what he was saying, "I was uh- just admiring your father's uh- talents for business?"

Rayn shook her head at the ottsel on Jak's shoulder and rolled her amber eyes. Jak gave Daxter a dirty look and the ottsel waved his furry hands in front of him innocently. Rayn turned toward the bar and lifted a piece of the counter, beckoning for Jak to follow. Jak nodded and followed Rayn behind the counter as she closed the bar. She spread open the dark blue curtains and stepped into a short dark hall. Jak could see the light at the end of it and the shadow of the woman in front of him. She stepped in and Jak followed, his eyes widened with surprise as familiar figure stepped in front of him to block his way.

"What is he doing here?" The man gritted through his clenching pearly white teethe as Jak looked up at the man dressed in his red and blue trench coat. His black hair shone in the light and he blew his cigarette smoke into Jak's face. Jak began to grit his teethe back at him.

"Now calm down Razer, it seems that he has some information that will help in the business. Settle down" Razer winced slightly at Rayn's words as he slowly backed away from Jak, moving aside to let him pass.

Rayn had decided that a hug was not appropriate because of the way she had left everyone at the Bloody Hook, revealing her secret that she was in with her father's plan all along. She guessed it didn't leave good impressions although she didn't consider them her enemies. She sat at a large round wooden table with several wooden chairs, dressed in gold embroidery covering. Once again Jak spotted the flowers in the middle of the table. It was a fairly large room, about the size of the Naughty Ottsel minus the booths and bar. The walls were covered in photos once again and it seemed like a place where she must've held meetings. Rayn motioned for Jak to join her as Razer leaned against the open doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern expression on his face. Daxter's eyes were wide and amazed at the decorating of the place and the large glass chandelier over the table. Jak laid back against the chair with his arms calmly crossed.

"I never thought I'd see you again due to that fact that I left my father's data pad when I left the Bloody Hook. I didn't think you'd be very fond of me since then" Rayn began, leaning her elbows on the table. It seemed her voice was sincere, almost as if she was a bit glad to see Jak again. Razer detected this in her voice and cringed as his look burned into Jak. Jak stood silent, not quite sure what to say to the woman who he wasn't sure was his friend or enemy. Seeing this, she continued, "Well, so I've heard you had some information that may benefit me. What brings you here and why would this be of any value to me?" Rayn returned to being professional.

"Well that depends on what you have to say about this…" Rayn arched a confused brow at Jak and he continued, "Recently Ashelin received a letter at the palace and it was a letter for her assassination and a threat to take over the city"

Rayn smirked, "I'm sure she deserved the threat with the way she carries herself" Jak expected for Rayn's dislike of Ashelin to show and it would only make his plan work better.

"Well talking about that, it seems that the letter had come from Kras City" Jak studied Rayn and she immediately took offense.

She stood up and slammed her hands on the table, "You think I had something to do with it! That's absurd!" Jak stared up at her and she quickly realized her outburst was only leading him to suspect her more. She straightened out the collar of her suit and calmly sat down. "Well I may not be very fond of that- that woman but I'm not the one who sent the letter. Disliking her is not enough motive for me to kill her unless it benefited me in some way"

"But killing her would benefit you so you could re-establish your power in Haven as well as Kras. Since your father died, he had lost alot of his hold in Haven City and the bar was taken over"

"Why would I want to take over Haven when I'm having enough troubles here?"

"What do you mean?" Jak leaned on his elbows so that he could listen to her more intently.

"Well ever since Mizo was defeated, as you know I have taken over as far as being the biggest crime lord in this city and it's surrounding parts. However it seems that I've heard some nasty rumors that there may still be remaining followers of Mizo's lurking about and trying to overthrow me and carry Mizo's will even after his death"

"Oh great! Even after he dies it's like his ghost lives on!" Daxter made a sarcastic remark, "Can't bad guys just die and not come back in one way or another?" He meant the second part toward Rayn but she took no notice.

Jak ignored Daxter's ranting, "Really? Have any idea who may be leading them or where they might be?"

Suddenly another familiar figure entered the room, "Now that, I can answer for ya" A sly grin spread across his face as he snatched the silver and red lighter from Razer's hand who was about to light his own cigarette. He brought it to his mouth to light his cigar and Razer grew furious, pulling out his knife to the unknown man's throat.

"Who the hell do you think you-"

"Jinx?" Jak interrupted Razer's threat and Razer looked confused.

Jinx released himself from Razer's grip and threw the lighter back at him. Razer caught it and was about to attack him again before Rayn put her hand up to signal him to stop.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Relax Jaky-boy, I got my ways" He gave Jak a friendly pat on the back as he sat on the table between Jak and Rayn.

Jinx gave Rayn a wink and her cheeks began to grow pink. Her face was burning and for some unknown reason she seemed a bit attracted to this sly man. Still she maintained her professional demeanor. "What do you know?"

Jinx calmly took a puff of his cigar, once again blowing the smoke toward Daxter. Daxter's hacking coughs and curses echoed behind Jinx's voice as he began to explain. "Well I've been doing some research and it seems that you're right. There are a buncha goons of this Mizo guy's still gathering somewhere and they want you outta the picture" He pointed at Rayn and she backed away. The cigar smoke combined with Razer's cigarette smoke was beginning to bother her so she calmly got up and walked over by the entrance. She went into the dark hall a bit to pull a lever that would open the ventilation vents.

"Do you know whose leading them?" Jak continued the conversation.

"Well it turns out that the leader may be one of Rayn's own"

At that, Rayn gasped in surprise and was about to protest until she felt two strong arms grip her neck and pull. She yelped for help as one arm locked her neck and the other pulled a knife to her throat. The three men in front of her got into offensive positions as they watched the helpless woman squirming inside this man's deadly grip.

"Yikes!" Daxter yelped.

"Release her you son of a-" Razer spat angrily at the man almost strangling Rayn in his one arm clutch. Her amber eyes glimmered with slight fear staring at the silver blade against her throat.

"Let her go!" Jak warned as his eyes began to flicker black and white.

"Yeah so the guy leading 'em turns out to be this guy named Cutter, I'm guessing that would be him" Jinx muttered, wishing he had noticed sooner that the man had followed him into the hall.

Rayn felt the rough wood from his mask against the smooth skin of her face. He breathed heavily as he refused to let her go. "C-cutter- you bloody- fool- gasp!" Rayn managed to squeal but her vision was beginning to get blurry.

"Release her or I will have to kill you" Razer threatened as he slowly began to pull out his knife once again.

"Liar, you'll kill me either way Razer" Cutter grunted, knowing that Razer would kill him even if he did release Rayn. He had seen Jinx around the city and suspected that he was snooping around where he didn't belong. Once he saw him walk in, he decided to follow him into the hall. Since his identity was about to be revealed he had no choice but to take Rayn hostage and find a way to escape.

Suddenly Razer's knife spun shot across the room at full speed towards Cutter's head. It stabbed through his forehead but his mask protected his face. The blade stuck out of his wooden mask as he desperately threw Rayn at Razer and ran down the hall. He pulled Razer's knife out of his mask and threw it to the floor. Razer caught Rayn who was gasping for air and handed her over to Jak. Razer ran down the hall and picked up his knife with Jinx trailing behind him. They saw the front door fly open and Edje ran after him. Or was he running with him? Together they hopped into their racing vehicles and sped away, leaving Razer and Jinx in their tire smoke. Razer was about to jump into his Havoc until Jinx grabbed his arm to stop him. He shook his head.

"We can't go after 'em yet. We still need to find out how many of them there are and do some more research. There may still be some spies inside"

Razer snatched his arm away from Jinx and kicked the garbage can nearby onto the gray concrete. "Bloody asshole!" He went back inside and Jinx followed, throwing his cigar on the floor.

Razer walked into the hall to find Rayn sitting down, clutching her throat and trying to recover her lost breaths. Jak had a concerned hand on her shoulder. Razer put his knife in his back pocket and walked up to Rayn, "Are you alright my lord?"

"Yes, yes I'm quite fine. Just a little out of breath" She reassured Razer. "Well I guess that answers all our questions now does it?"

"Well not exactly, just because Cutter may be leading a revolt against you doesn't mean that he sent the letter to Ashelin" Jak informed.

"And that other guy with the goggles went with him too" Jinx pointed to the door and Rayn's eyes widened.

"Edje too? Who do these people think they are?" Rayn slammed her fists on the table.

Jak turned to Jinx, "I think you should radio this to Torn in case"

"You got it Jaky-boy" Jinx nodded as he headed out into the hall to radio Torn without disrupting their conversation.

"First the other crime lords are doubting I can take over after Mizo and do a better job than my father and now this!" Rayn buried her face into her hands and shook her head in worry.

"Well I did say I came here with something that can benefit you…" Jak grinned and Rayn lifted her head to look at him.

"You can help us find this assassin and we can help you take down Cutter"

"What? That's absurd! Why would I have any desire to help Ashelin of all people?" Her red lips hung open in shock.

"Because if they happen to be the same person, it'll be killing two birds with one stone and you can return to your business here in Kras without any worries"

Rayn closed her mouth as she thought for a bit. He was right. If she helped them and they helped her, once she got rid of those rebelling against her, it would end her power struggle. The other crime lords were re-gain confidence in her and Haven would still have their governor so it would all work out. She finally nodded to herself despite the disagreeing looks on Razer's face.

She held out her hand, "Deal" and Jak put his hand in hers to tie a firm handshake as he nodded. They released their handshake and Jak brought his hand to his chin to think.

"So if Cutter sent Ashelin that letter, where would we find him? And if it wasn't him and it wasn't you, then who sent it?" Even though Jak and Jinx had successfully completed their mission in Kras City, there was still one very important question left unanswered. Who is Ashelin's assassin?

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**I thought I'd take it away from Ash and Torn's POV for a while to show Jak and Jinx in action. What do you think of the slight Razer & Rayn action and Jinx & Rayn action? She even seemed to have a bit of a thing for Jak. Lol well in the actual game I suspect her having a bit of a crush on him but thank God Naughty Dog didn't pursue that. JakxKeira all the way! So now we know of the drama in Kras City. Was the whole taking Rayn hostage thing good? Review :-D**


	6. Chapter 6 : Vin Visit

**Sorry for taking so long guys! I got absorbed into video game world (Daxter came out and Kingdom Hearts is coming this week) so I've been a bit distracted. I know it's never taken me this long to update so I'm very very very sorry Lol.**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone and yes mecca-dog, Keira will be coming. Of course, it would be a sin if I didn't include her. I was a JakxKeira fanfic writer before an AshxTorn one Lol. Trust me, a lot of characters will be coming in, well most of them are already included in the story like Jinx, Razer, Rayn and now you know Keira will be popping up. Matter in fact I'm gonna let her pop up in this chapter Yay!**

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**Chapter 6**

"You want me to make a what!" Keira protested as she clenched her fist around her green steel toolbox. Her other hand cupped her waist as she stared at Torn in disbelief in the lobby of the palace.

"What am I, a criminal now?" scolded Ashelin right behind Keira.

Torn waved his hands nervously in front of him in innocence, "Listen girls, I don't mean it like that. The transmitter is just so we could know where Ashelin is at all times"

"Yeah but a transmitter on her ankle? That's a bit drastic don't you think?" Keira lifted an eyebrow at him in question. She tried to resist cringing with disgust at the whole idea. True, her and Ashelin were never too close but still, this was outrageous. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for an answer.

"Listen Keira, It's not like I want to do it but it's necessary" Torn tried to avoid Ashelin's furious gaze burning through his head as he tried to reason with the mechanic.

"Necessary! I don't need some clunk of metal attached to my foot everywhere I go so everyone can be on my ass every minute of the day!" Ashelin walked over in front of Torn, forcing their gazes to meet as she held her hips and swayed her head.

He took a step back and cleared his throat. Sweat was beginning to trickle from his forehead. "But Ash-" he raised his hand to grab her arm and she smacked it away, not caring that Keira was a witness. She snarled at him and he could see her clenching teethe through her red lips.

"I can't believe you…commander" There she was again, speaking to him formally when she was angry. He felt the pang of pain and anger stab him as he furrowed his brows. He inhaled deeply as if he was about to start yelling before Keira interrupted.

"Alright I'll make it" They both spun their heads to her in shock. "However due to my morals, I'll have to make it so that she can take it off when she pleases and she can only turn it on when she needs help"

"But-" Torn raised a finger to object but Keira simply turned her back to him and lightly swished her turquoise hair.

"Take it or leave it," she growled and Torn had no choice but to give in. It was two very angry ladies against just him in the room with no men to back him up. He silently wished Jak wasn't in Kras City at the moment with Jinx. Then again even if he were here, they were no match to the wills of these two women when they got fired up about something.

Torn nervously swallowed the lump in his throat before cautiously meeting Ashelin's angry gaze still focused on him. Her lips were tightly pressed together in anger as she crossed her arms and shook her head at him. Torn opened his mouth to say something but Ashelin rolled her eyes and brushed past him roughly. As he heard her leave the room he dug his nails into his palms. His fist quickly met the wall at full force as he groaned in frustration. His knuckles had cracked the wall but he didn't feel any pain. He brought his fist down, lost in thought.

The night before had been an awkward one. After Ashelin had returned and they had fought and ended with a hug, they hardly spoke a word to one another. After being locked in embrace for a few silent minutes in the lobby, Ashelin had eventually pulled away from him and walked away. She simply said she was tired and avoided his eyes. It pained him to know that she must've felt trapped because of him trying to protect her. She couldn't roam wherever she pleased, whenever she pleased and she couldn't be her usual independent self. It was as if her power had been ripped away from her and she didn't know what it was like to feel weak. The guards now only followed Torn's orders because on the situation.

Last night neither of them visited the other's bedrooms. Torn wanted to lay beside her and he hoped that his embrace would comfort her but he thought that if he did come, he'd only make things more awkward for them. All day she had been cooped up in the office under paperwork. He had caught her in a daze staring out the window in her office, observing the outside. He thought maybe he should take her out soon and let her have some fresh air to get away from things. They both needed to get away from things. He couldn't wait until they found her assassin so everything could just go back to normal.

The crackling and static of his walkie clipped upon his waist interrupted his thoughts. He brought his lips to the walkie, "Yeah, Torn here"

"Yeah Torn, it's Jinx, I got some news for ya"

"I'm listening," Torn tuned in all his attention to what Jinx was about to say. Every moment and every piece of information was vital.

"Rayn claims she ain't got nothin' to do with the letter but it turns out one of her own is leading a rebellion against her. Names Cutter and he ran outta here like a bat outta hell when I was about to tell her about it. He took Edje with him. We don't know if he sent the letter to the governor but we're pretty sure it wasn't Rayn. She's agreed to help us. Jacky-boys in the room now sealing the deal"

Torn nodded, "Alright guys, when you get outta there, stay alert. Cutter may be out there trying to send his goons after ya. I'll have Vin do a background check on him and Edje. Rest up and be back here by morning"

"You got it, over and out" Jinx had cut off his connection and Torn walked out of the lobby. Two guards were standing on both sides of the doors. They raised their hands to their heads as he passed and Torn nodded.

"Go up to the governor's room and keep watch until your shift ends and the other two guards take over"

"Yes sir!" they obeyed and marched down the hall to head to Ashelin's room. Torn didn't need to check to know that she was in her room. He knew she was upset with him and there wasn't much choice as to where she could go anyway. He allowed the worry in his face to show as he headed outside the palace. He hopped on a zoomer so he could head to Vin's and get that fingerprint checked out along with Cutter's and Edje's backgrounds.

After about a twenty-minute drive he arrived. He hopped off the zoomer and headed through the two sliding steel doors. The room still looked the same except it was now flickering with green and blue lights against the walls from the computer monitors. Torn searched the room for any sign of life and heard a nervous voice call out.

"Wh-whose there? M-m-metal heads? G-go away!"

Torn laughed to himself. Vin was always paranoid. "It's Torn"

Finally a hologram of the geeky man with glasses popped up in front of him. Torn held up the fingerprint so that Vin could see.

"Oh y-yes I see. Ashelin was in here yesterday so does this mean you have a clue?"

"Yeah we gotta fingerprint that Samos managed to scrape up from the letter. We need you to search through your files and see if you can find a match"

"Oh s-sure, just slide it into the machine right there and I'll take a look"

Torn walked over to a box-like machine full of buttons and a monitor. He slid the paper through the slot and it came out through the other side. Green numbers raced up and down the screen and then the same numbers appeared on the big screen in the front of the room. Torn watched and waited as Vin processed through his information.

"I also need a background check on two men from Kras City. They're names are Cutter and Edje. I don't know if those are their real names or not but-"

"Shh," Vin hushed him. Torn was breaking his concentration. Finally after a few minutes, the monitors flickered and a criminal profile popped up. Torn's eyes widened at the identity and he gasped.

"No, that can't be right. Mizo's dead!" Torn protested to the profile on the screens which even stated his real identity as G.T. Blitz and his decease date which was the day Jak killed him. This didn't make sense.

"W-well yes it seems that he is. B-but somehow that's where the fingerprint links"

Before Torn could reply, the profile disappeared and the screen split in half to show two more profiles. One was Cutter's and one was Edje's. Torn studied the profiles. Nothing too unusual, just robbery and assault charges, suspected for trading illegal goods and subsiding under Mizo's command. Eventually something on Cutter's profile caught Torn's eye. He squinted to study it closer and finally his eyes widened as he realized it. He read aloud his findings.

"Birth place, Haven City? Cutter was originally from here?"

"W-well according to this, he is"

"The how'd he end up in Kras? Running away from pending charges maybe?"

"Well this is just the record from the criminal's files but it would take me some time if you'd like me to look into his personal life. B-by tomorrow maybe"

"And about Mizo, are you sure that the fingerprint was linked to him?"

"W-w-well yeah I'm pretty sure. My sources don't lie"

Torn brought his hand to his chin as he thought. Mizo was dead and it even stated it in his criminal profile so how was it possible that the fingerprint linked to him? Also did the fact that Cutter was originally from here have anything to do with his rebellion or Ashelin's death threat? He shook his head as he sighed in frustration. He was getting tired of questions without answers. The clock was ticking and no one knew what was going to take place next. Finally he headed toward the doors with a wave and a mumble of thanks. He stepped out into the frigid night air and inhaled. He felt the nervous sweat on his body being cooled against his skin with the breeze.

He calmly hopped on his zoomer and sped away. He failed to notice the dark figure lurking in the shadows. He had watched Torn emerge from Vin's and retreat. The figure shook his head in disapproval and sped the other way in a hurry.

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**Don't worry guys, it's not what you think. Mizo is not coming back to life like friggin Erol did. I hate crap like that, oooh look at me I'm back from the dead to get revenge because I can't think of a new villain or a bigger plot Muahahaha! Lol Well I'm planning to write another chapter today and submit it by tonight hopefully. I didn't remember much of Vin since it's been so long since I seen the poor geek so I hope he's in character here. Hope you liked.**


	7. Chapter 7 : Keep you safe

**Darn FF wasn't letting me submit documents. Grr this took a while. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 7**

The hot water sprayed onto his shoulder blades as he leaned his hands against the black and gray tiles. He turned around to tilt his head under the showerhead and let the water stream down his face against his brown hair and the black ink sketched upon his features. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts as the water calmed him. He just stood there in silence, listening to the sound of the running water on his body and inhaling the steam rising in the air.

It had been a long day. Ashelin was angry because of the whole transmitter thing and the clues that he thought he had, lead to nothing. A rebellion was forming and a war could possibly start if things heated up in the city. No one knew what Cutter's intentions were and what he was up to. Whoever Ashelin's assassin was, the whole city was in danger because of it. A threat to the head of the city was a threat to the whole. Torn knew that well as a war strategist and a soldier. Yet, as selfish as it sounded, it wasn't the city that he cared about, it was about himself. What would he do with himself if the only woman that had ever understood him and could hold her own, wasn't there anymore.

He shook his head at the thought of looking upon her name in a memorial with the names of others who had lost their lives in the past wars or on duty. Her name was something he would never want to see unless his name was right next to hers. He knew Ashelin would want him to take care of the city and follow their goals through if something should happen to her but it still pained him to think that he would have to do it alone. He didn't want that.

He stared at his fingers scraping against the tiles and he finally made up his mind. He nodded to himself as he stepped out of the shower and draped a red towel around his waist so he could get dressed in his master bedroom. He threw on a pair of black sweats and his racing tank top, not caring if others judged his appearance. He stepped out of his room toward the direction of Ashelin's.

The two guards looked up in surprise as they saw their commander dressed so laid back and walking toward the governor's room so late at night. Still they saved their questions and their bodies stiffened as Torn walked up to them, standing on both sides of Ashelin's door. Usually there were no guards by this floor because they all stood on the main floor to keep watch and around the outside perimeters of the palace. It was easy for Torn and Ashelin to visit each other and be back unnoticed. Yet now here were the two guards standing watch and searching their commander's eyes for some sort of explanation for his actions. They raised their hands to their heads.

Torn spoke calmly, "Whatever you hear from this room, stays confidential. Whatever you are seeing right now, forget and speak of it to no one" Torn kept his gaze on Ashelin's door as the two guards nodded in obedience even though they were still clearly confused. Rumors were heard of the commander's relationship with the governor but nothing was ever confirmed. Only those they kept close to them knew the nature of their relationship and the employees of the Freedom League knew nothing, until now.

"Only alert me if there is an emergency no matter what" The guards nodded again as they watched Torn push open the door and step into the darkness of the governor's room. Torn closed the door behind him. He turned to stare upon the sleeping curves spread out in the king size bed. The pale moonlight from the large window kissed against her ruby hair transforming it into a purple hue. He stared at her body as it laid beneath the burgundy covers up to her lower back.

He sighed to himself as he looked at her, feeling the pain rising inside him from the thought of ever losing her. He locked the door and slowly approached the sleeping figure on the bed. Only the creaking of his bare feet on the cold hard wood floors and her slow steady breathing was heard in the room. He calmly slipped his tank top up over his head to reveal his bare chest and he threw it on the floor. He slipped inside the covers unnoticed as Ashelin continued to sleep.

She was lying on her side with her back facing him. She was dressed in a black lacey tank top and shorts but she didn't seem to be cold. He observed the side of her face and the movement underneath her eyelids. She was dreaming something as he watched her clench the pillowcase beside her face.

_Hand over your city willingly or I'll have to kill you. _An unknown voice spoke to her inside her dream. It was dark and she felt pain being stabbed and whipped all over her body. Her skin felt cool as if it were bare and damp from something. She could tell by the stench and the taste on her lips that it was blood, her blood.

_I'd rather die before giving my city up to the likes of you. _She yelled into the darkness and spat in front of her disrespectfully. She felt as if her back was against cold, sharp bricks and her wrists were bound against it. She struggled to escape and see in the darkness but failed. She heard a sadistic laugh erupting and getting closer to her but she still could not make out whom it was.

_Well then I'll have to kill you and then get the next in command as well to ensure neither of you will be in my way._

_Next in command? Torn! You bastard! Even if you kill me you wouldn't last long enough before he killed you. He'd have nothing to lose after my death and he would avenge me._

_Ahh so you think he's invincible? Maybe this would change your mind._

Suddenly a bright light began to appear in front of her and she turned her face away from it because of its brightness. She slowly let her squinting eyes adjust as she turned back toward it. Her eyes widened at the horrific sight.

A man's body lay on the gray concrete floor, surrounded by a crimson puddle that was still growing. His blue eyes were rolled back to reveal the lifeless white flesh and his skin was pale. Trails of blood trickled down his face as his fingers seemed to be clenching the floor, showing his struggle to survive before death had greeted him harshly.

Ashelin felt the lump inside her dry throat that prevented her from screaming. She opened her mouth to yell but no sound came from her quivering lips. Her breathing grew heavy and her heartbeat had stopped at the sight. Finally she managed to use all of her strength from the depths of her weak body to screech out his name.

_T-Torn!_

"Torn, no- Torn" Ashelin whispered his name through her mumbling lips as Torn began to shake her shoulder. He realized she was having a nightmare.

"Ash wake up, you're just dreaming" He shook her but she wasn't waking up. She began to kick and bang her fists into thin air in front of her as if she was struggling to be set free from something.

Her calling began to grow louder until Torn roughly wrapped his strong arms around her thrashing ones so that he could hold her body against his. His husky voice spoke loudly and clearly into her ear so that he could wake her up, "Ashelin"

At the sound of his voice her eyes shot open and she gasped in horror from the nightmare. She felt her body sweat as she breathed heavily from shock and she was out of breath. Her clenching fists were trembling slightly as she felt someone's body holding her against his tightly. She recognized the familiar masculine hands around her wrists and she stared at them, still in shock.

Torn loosened his grip around her wrists a bit as he rubbed her hands with his thumbs. He tightened his embrace around her until he felt her body relax. They stood in silence as Torn's chin nuzzled on top of her head.

"Whatever you were dreaming, it won't happen," He whispered to her as she turned slightly toward his face. She didn't speak and her eyes were still slightly wide. He removed his hands from her wrists to hover over her body a bit. He turned her face toward his, as he looked at her though the darkness with a solemn expression.

"I won't let it happen" He spoke again hoping to get through to her. She blinked in reaction and opened her mouth to protest. His hand that had cupped the side of her face moved to hush her lips.

"Do you believe in me Ash?" He looked at her as he laid on his side, supporting himself on his other elbow. It seemed that she had come back into reality and she raised her hand to caress the tattoos on his face. Her facial expression was more relaxed even though it still showed worry.

She nodded as she whispered, "Yes, I believe in you"

He slowly brought his face closer to hers and spoke onto her lips. She felt his warm breath upon her lips as he spoke and she closed her eyes in reaction. "Then believe that I will keep you safe"

She felt his lips press against her roughly as she raised her arms to wrap around his neck. His body shifted closer to her as he ran his free hand from her face down her neck and the side of her body. She shivered slightly in reaction and he kissed her more feverishly. Between their growing heavy breaths she managed to back away from him just enough to whisper, "The guards, they saw you?"

He shook his head and spoke quickly, "Don't worry about them. I don't care anymore"

"B-but-" He rushed in to crash his lips on hers again, cutting off her objections. His teeth pulled on her bottom lip as she released a small lusty moan from his kiss.

"I don't care who knows anymore. I'm tired of hiding ourselves in the palace" He shifted on top of her and she opened her legs in reaction so that he could lay comfortably. He rested on one elbow as his other hand tickled her navel, playing with the edges of her black lace. He kissed and nibbled on the side of her neck, "Let them hear us. I want them to know"

Before she could open her mouth to reply he slipped his hand underneath the black lace covering the delicate and intimate parts of her. She gasped in surprise as he massaged her and he felt her nails begin to claw his back.

He raised his hand back up to pull up her tank top. She felt the warm moisture from his tongue trailing all over her chest as his hand slipped back down inside her. Her breathing increased as she held him tighter, exploring his back with her hands. "Torn, about everything- that's been- happening lately- I-" She struggled to speak between her excited breaths but his motions grew quicker and deeper and she couldn't speak anymore.

He simply said, "I know" before she felt his lips on her again. He released his hand from her and rested on both elbows as she rose up to kiss him. She pulled him down toward her with her lips pulling his. She kissed him hungrily and her tongue ran inside his mouth against his. She heard him moan between their kisses and she smiled.

"I'd like to show you how grateful I am for your protection commander. I know I'm a stubborn woman but let me make it up to you," She whispered to him lustfully with her devious grin.

He smiled back at her, "Governor, are you trying to overrule my authority again?"

"Oh yes, and this time I'll succeed" She pulled him back down for another kiss.

Meanwhile the two guards stood outside, still confused about the situation. They both removed their helmets. One was revealed to be a tall muscular man with broad shoulders. He had black hair tied behind his head and a line of hair along his jaw line. The shorter guard was revealed to be a young woman. Her silver blue hair spilled onto her shoulders once she pulled off her helmet and her sharp golden eyes were wide with shock. She turned toward her companion.

"Do you hear what I think I'm hearing?" She whispered carefully so that her voice wouldn't be heard.

The man laughed, "Sure do, the commander's protecting the governor alright" He winked at his companion and her jaw dropped in shock.

"This-this doesn't disturb you?"

"Nah not really, I'm actually not surprised" Before the woman could reply the man hushed her as he pressed his ear to the door. The sounds of the creaking spring mattress and muffled moans grew louder. A sly smile spread across his face as he listened.

The soundless words _Oh my God_ came from the woman's lips as she covered her ears with her palms. Her face grew red as she tried to block out the sounds from the room. Her companion seemed to enjoy it and she grew angry.

"Seij!" She furrowed her brows at his behavior and he laughed. He turned away from the door and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Relax Anya, it's nothing to get all worked up about"

She crossed her arms in front of her and pouted, taking her gaze away from Seij who was still smiling at her. Her cheeks still heated up until she heard a low but still audible conversation coming from inside the room. It was their commander whispering his love to the governor and she responded to him back in the same way.

"Oh he said he loved her and he never wants to let her go" Her eyes sparkled and she smiled happily for the couple inside the room. "I wish I had someone that felt that way about me" She sighed, lost in her dream world. She had not realized the smile that he had faded on Seij's face. She turned to him and observed his suddenly solemn expression.

"I'm sure you'll find that person some day" He replied to her as he stared ahead of him, avoiding her questioning gaze.

She shook her head, "Hah, I doubt that. Growing up the way that I did and being on this job for two years hasn't allowed it. There aren't many men out there that desire a woman who wields a gun and might have more balls than them. Most men want a pretty little housewife that's going to carry the groceries and cook meals, not drink beer and ride on hover boards"

"That's not true, there's plenty men out there who'd want that. Look, the commander's one of 'em" He pointed toward the door and smiled.

She crossed her arms in front of her and spoke in a defeated tone, "Yeah well he's taken and I've never had any interest in him. Other than that, those men are hard to find"

They stood silent for a while as they stared ahead of them. They seemed to have forgotten about the sounds coming from inside the room. Finally Seij broke the silence.

"Well maybe he's just afraid. Even if a man wants such a powerful woman, maybe he feels as if she doesn't want a man or feels that she might not even need one"

"Well I think that if a man wants a woman bad enough he'll go after her no matter what, even with fear of rejection. If not than maybe he isn't man enough to handle her either way and he's better off keeping to himself"

He raised a brow at her and laughed, "Ya don't say. Now I feel insulted"

"Well it's tru-" Her eyes widened when she realized the hidden meaning in their conversation. She gasped and turned to him, about to question him but he grabbed her by her waist before she could respond.

He leaned in quickly to press his lips upon her pink ones as she stood there in shock. Her body stood stiff as her two-year partner on the job kissed her lovingly. She had never been kissed is such a way. She never even knew the sly joker had that in him. He backed away to see her flushing cheeks and her wide golden eyes staring up into his caramel ones.

"I hope that's man enough for you" He winked at her and pulled away. She raised her hand to touch her lips, still damp from his kiss.

"Seij, I had no idea"

He shrugged, "Don't make it such a big thing…unless you want to…" He stared ahead of him once again with a serious expression. She saw the worry in his eyes and a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his face.

She smiled as she put her helmet back on and he followed, doing the same.

"Well let's continue doing our shift. We're gonna be mighty tired later" She gave Seij a friendly punch on his arm and he nodded.

"Yeah I usually sleep during the day when I do night shift"

"Well that's too bad, you won't be awake enough to go grab a beer with me…and finish where you left off from the kiss"

His head spun to her and she could tell he was shocked by what she said. His body relaxed and she knew he was smiling.

"Don't worry Anya, I'll be more than awake to finish where we left off for you"

She laughed and suddenly realized that she had forgotten about the sounds coming from the bedroom. They didn't seem to bother her anymore. She smiled underneath her helmet as she thought to herself.

_You take care of that woman commander and I'm sure she will do the same. May the blessings of Mar be upon you both._

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**Once again FF was being dumb and not letting me submit my documents so I'm sorry this took a while. I originally planned to submit one chap and then one later but because of that I submitted the both of these together. Hope you liked them and since I haven't updated in longer than usually that's why I like to spoil my readers with two chapters. How'd you like Seij and Anya? I like making up other characters and putting little stories within my story. Wasn't this chapter so full of fluff and love and all that gushy stuff? I wanted Torn and Ash to make up before things got drastic and violent. I'll try to update soon and I'll try not to get distracted :sees Daxter calling her from the PSP: Umm yeah….what was I saying?**


	8. Chapter 8 : Caught Off Guard

**Gee this story's getting a little long don't you think. Oh well that's good for you guys right. Sadly I'd like to inform everyone that this might be my last Jak and Daxter fic for a while. No I'm not quitting but I just wanna try and write on other topics too. Maybe I'll write a Rayn and Razer one but I'm starting to run out of ideas and that's why I figure I should write other things till my Jak and Daxter vibe comes back and I get fresh ideas. Don't worry, I'll still be writing other stories and I will come back to Jak and Daxter eventually. It's just a break. :hands Kleenex tissues to all her readers: Don't cry :sobs: I love you guys too! I wanna write a FF-X2 fic, a Bleach fic is in the process and a Naruto one so if you're into any of that, please support my other fics when they come out.**

**Since everyone was so fast and good at reviewing I updated asap instead of waiting Lol. I was surprised to see all the reviews so fast but I'm glad. **

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**Chapter 8**

The floors rumbled beneath their feet as the bright colorful lights flashed and blinked around the bar. Daxter had gotten a new surround sound system to play music on certain nights at the Naughty Ottsel in hopes that it would attract more business. It was Tess' idea. It was working. The walls pumped with the beats from the booming speakers as Dater happily controlled the music, nodding his head. He put a sign on the DJ spin table that read _DJ Orange Lightning_. No one was surprised.

The crowds danced and drunk all over the bar, regulars and people who had never come into the bar before were now filling it up wall to wall. Keira had made the lights for Daxter and everyone helped hook them up to the ceiling. Ashelin and Torn leaned their backs on the bar as they drank from the golden foaming liquid in their clear glass mugs. They kept their solemn expressions as they watched the crowd and Daxter bop his head with a pair of black sunglasses against his orange face.

Ashelin seemed to be lost in a daze as she smiled at the ottsel's behavior briefly before returning to her solemn face. Torn nudged her arm with his elbow and raised an eyebrow at her when she turned to him. She smiled and leaned into his arm so that he could wrap his arm around her. He was beginning to think that maybe taking her out was a bad idea after all. He was hoping it would get her away from things if he just took her out for some fresh air and drinks. Also she wouldn't need to be accompanied by any guards with him around along with Jak and the others nearby.

Torn leaned into her ear. He inhaled the sweet spice from her hair as he spoke to her through the noise. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking a bit that's all" Her jade eyes expressed worry, "I just have a bad feeling and I'm not liking it"

Torn squeezed her shoulder, "Don't worry Ash, nothing can happen with me right next to you the whole time" He reassured her and she gave him a smile that he could easily see right through. His words didn't comfort her. It pained him as well as made him slightly angry.

_Aren't I enough for you? Why don't you feel safe even when you're right by me? Is it that you feel you don't need my protection? Are you still thinking about the dream last night?_

Torn couldn't think of anything else to say. He squeezed her shoulder again before taking a long gulp of his beer. He observed around the room as he thought about the events earlier in the day. He had paid Vin another visit to see if he found any personal information on Cutter. All Vin could find out was that he left Haven City shortly after his brother's death. No one knew why or what he was planning to do with himself. He just disappeared one day and now he's revealed to be one of Mizo's goons and a combat racer. He couldn't think of why he'd think of rising up against Rayn's power or if he could be sure if he was related to the letter sent to Ashelin. Why would he bother taking up Mizo's goals when he was dead when he could easily move on to something else? Maybe he was tired of running and moving on…

Torn searched around the bar to eventually spot a booth full of smoke and laughter. He squinted his eyes and grinned when he realized who it was. There was that sly blond surrounded by three ladies and beers, living up the night.

Jinx pulled the cigar from his mouth as he exhaled the streams of gray smoke from his lips. His sly smile spread on his face like butter on bread as he looked at the three ladies lost in their drunken laughter beside him.

"Yeah so there I was, surrounded by these pricks with guns in the middle of the deserted streets. I had lost contact with HQ and I was runnin' outta ammo"

The attractive brunette placed her hand on his chest and cooed "Oh my, what did you do? Did you get hurt?"

"Wouldn't you like to know sweetheart, Jinx here still had something up his sleeve…"

Jinx was quite the storyteller, except a lot of his stories unlike Daxter's weren't exaggerated. The women were attracted to him like bees to honey because of his occupation. They knew he was a higher up in the FL and was one of Torn's most prized men besides Jak. He didn't wield any Eco powers but he sure knew how to shoot a gun and his spy work along with his "delivery service" was impeccable.

Torn continued to scan the room. Tess was working at the bar while encouraging Daxter to play the music. She cheered him on as he played DJ. The blond ottsel even danced on the bar when she wasn't passing drinks. Torn looked past the bar toward the back door and it seemed that he had finally spotted Jak.

"Jak?" Keira tempted as she tugged Jak's racing jacket so he could get closer to her. She leaned against the back door as she stared up into his cerulean eyes with innocence. She played off an angelic behavior but Jak knew better. As she bit her bottom lip mischievously, it well betrayed her eyes. Keira lifted her slender finger to tickle against one of his side burns and down to his green goatee.

Jak looked down at the woman straddled between his arms against the door. "Yes?" He grinned widely as he played along with her.

Keira pulled his face down so she could whisper in his ear. He turned his face as she spoke, "I missed you while you were away"

Jak smiled again as he turned to press his lips on hers smoothly and briefly. He unlocked the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers as he held her against him. She continued to speak as she looked up at him.

"Did anything happen while you were over there in Kras?" Her lustful look transformed into concern as she played with the collar of his jacket with her hands.

Jak shook his head, "Don't worry Keira, nothing too big too worry about yet" He lifted his hand to her chin. His finger traced the edges of her delicate jaw line. He searched her eyes to see if she believed him.

She patted him on his chest, "Well let me know if you need anything ok? Upgrades, repairs…I wanna make sure you're prepared for whatever happens"

He leaned in to share another peck on her lips. Usually he wasn't this affectionate in public but with the crowd stuffed in the bar and being away from her for a while, that was the least of his worries. "Don't worry about that right now. I'll be alright. After all I am the legend of Mar" He cleared his throat in confidence with a wide grin. She laughed and gave him a light punch on his shoulder.

In seconds her expression changed again. He saw the desire in her eyes as she focused on his. She spoke seductively, "Legend of Mar huh? We'll see about that" She pulled him down for a heated kiss. His grip around her tiny waist tightened. He felt the vibration on his lips from her muffled moan trapped between their intertwining mouths. He ran his hand up her back and into her soft strands of green-blue hair. It sent goose bumps along her skin and she finally felt behind her for the knob to the back door.

After a few seconds she felt the round cool metal beneath her hand along the door. She turned the knob and began to open the door as they both moved away, still locked in kisses. Once the door was open enough she walked in backwards into the darkness of the hall that lead to Daxter and Tess' apartment. She giggled as she beckoned Jak with her finger to follow.

"Show me that there's nothing to worry about Mar"

Jak loved it when she called him that. No one called him that except for her when she was being seductive or lost in the mist of pleasure and lovemaking. Years ago when he was younger he would've never guessed that the woman in front of him would grow up to be such a tempting and seductive woman. The same girl who'd blush with him when they bumped shoulders as kids was now pulling him into a dark hall, pulling him into her web of blissful pleasure that awaited them.

He rushed in to grab her face and kiss her passionately. Her back hit against the wall as he embraced her. She slipped her hands into the warmness of his jacket and inhaled his scent of masculine sweat and old spice. Jak reached over next to him, struggling to find the knob with his eyes still closed. Finally he found it and slammed the door closed. All that was heard after that, covered by the loud noise of the bar was the click of the lock and Keira's devious giggles.

Torn rolled his eyes once he saw that they had snuck out through the back door. He hadn't realized he was looking at them for so long but luckily because of the commotion, no one seemed to noticed. Everyone was having a good time. Everyone but Ashelin. Torn turned his attention back to the woman leaning on his arm. He placed his empty mug on the bar. He observed her face as she stared at the transmitter on her wrist. Keira had made it look like a watch so that she could unbuckle it whenever she liked. It wasn't what Torn had asked for but it was better than nothing. He silently cursed her women's rights morals in his head.

Ashelin hadn't realized Torn's gaze burning into her. Torn took it upon himself to grab the cup of beer that was still almost full from her hand. She gasped from being startled when he gently released the cup from her clenching fingers. He calmly placed it next to his and turned back to her. She looked up at him, knowing he was going to continue to pry about her strange behavior.

"You look like you're having a hell of a shitty time" He grabbed the hand that was clenching the beer mug moments ago and realized her fingers were cold from the mug. He massaged her hand with his warm one as he looked to her for answers.

"No, it's fine. I guess I just feel a bit…suffocated in here" She took a deep breath and let go of Torn's hand to massage the back of her neck. She smiled half heartedly as she tried to avoid his eyes.

"You wanna step outside for some air?"

Ashelin nodded but just as Torn was about to lead her toward the exit she pulled him back. He furrowed his brows in question. She struggled to explain. "I need some fresh air but…I wanna be alone"

His eyes widened a bit. Her request stabbed him and he knew that he couldn't allow that when there was no one else but him watching her. He didn't want to make her feel like he was her watchdog but he couldn't resist the worry tugging inside his chest.

"But Ash, you know I cant-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look in her eyes drop lower and sink into deeper disappointment. He knew she hated being treated like some little girl. She knew how to fight and she knew how to shoot, maybe even better than he did. He shouldn't be so worried. Just like she had trusted in him the night before, maybe now was the time to trust in her.

He released her and grabbed one of the pistols on his waist. He was about to hand it to her until she patted her side. She smiled at him, "Don't worry, you know I have my own" She lifted her wrist to show him the transmitter, "And I have this. If anyone tries anything I'll give 'em hell"

He put his pistol away and quickly placed a kiss onto her crimson locks, not caring if anyone saw. "Stay nearby and stay alert"

"Yes sir" Ashelin winked and Torn smiled. He watched helplessly as his eyes followed the woman he loved leaving the bar. He wanted her to stay beside him but he knew that he couldn't keep a woman like her locked up forever. He had to trust that she would take care of herself. He had to believe in her strength, not just his own. She wasn't governor of Haven City for nothing.

Ashelin observed the dark deserted Haven streets outside the bar. It was late and all you could see was the red and yellow lights of zoomers across the ocean on the other side and a few abandoned rafts. She rubbed her hands on her arms in attempt to keep warm from the cool night air. The sapphire night sky lit up with white speckles.

She looked up at them as she walked down the street. She was lost in her daze and not really paying attention to the direction she was heading. She had come nearby an underpass and a strange lump on the floor caught her eye. She lifted her pistol from her side and unlocked the safety. She searched the area as she approached the strange figure sprawled out on the floor. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

The young woman was helplessly sprawled out on the floor , her hands and ankles bound in beige ropes. Her black curls covered her pale face as Ashelin saw the glisten of tears streaked on her cheeks. Ashelin looked around one last time before bending down to brush the woman's hair from her face. The woman's body jumped at her touch but Ashelin hushed her. Her body relaxed at the sight of her governor and she let Ashelin remove the ropes tied onto her trembling body.

"Who the hell did this to you?" Ashelin was untying the last of the ropes. Right when the woman was about to rip the gag from her mouth, the woman's gray eyes widened in horror. Ashelin felt the threatening presence behind her and the cool sharpness of a blade pressed to her throat. Ashelin stood still as she clenched her teeth.

_Damn!_

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**SUSPENSE! Haven't done that to you guys in a while have I? Well I hoped to lighten it up a bit with the bar scenes and everyone relaxing but now everything's gonna start heating up. Yay I've been dying to write the action scenes. If you've noticed I've been working on my description skills in this chapter so let me know if you see any improvement. Oh no, Ashelin's in danger, or is she? You won't find out till the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9 : Kidnapped

**Glad everyone is liking my stories and my OC's. I'm planning to share the identities of the two cowardly guards from earlier in the story and don't worry, they will have a point. Oh and by the way, Anya means darkness in Japanese and Seij is a name I cut in half from a FF XI character I know. The story is drawing up to its climax. Here is my attempt with the action scenes. I feel like I write the combat races better than hand-to-hand combat. Please share some tips if you can fellow writers.**

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**Chapter 9**

"Release you're weapon governor" the man's voice whispered into her ear as they both stood up, his silver blade still against her neck. She felt the slight sting and the warm moisture drip from her throat.

The woman sobbed in front of them, "I-I'm so sorry. They made me do it" She buried her face in her hands as she cried helplessly.

Ashelin growled as she stood facing the woman with the mystery man behind her. She lifted her pistol up in front of her so that the man could see. She stood calm even though she spoke to him through her gritted teeth. Her gums hurt as she controlled her anger using her teeth to grind against each other.

"Fine" the pistol in front of her seemed to drop in slow motion in her mind. She released it from her fingers knowing the man's eyes would be focused on the falling pistol rather than his hand holding the blade to her neck.

She swiftly spun her body around to elbow him in the face. Her elbow hit something hard and she heard a crack as she threw her body to the floor. He grunted in pain and stumbled back. She didn't look up to see the damage. Her chest painfully slid onto the concrete as the pistol fell into her hands from when she dropped it. She turned to aim at him but he kicked the pistol from her hands and it slid into a dark corner.

She lay on her back to see the dark figure looming over her and stepping on her arm that once held the gun. She winced as he put his weight to crush her wrist. He lifted his foot to stomp on her face but she rolled out of the way. She sprung back up in offensive stance with her fists up and her wrist now sore. Her crimson lips growled at her enemy as she felt the blood from her neck beginning to wet the collar of her shirt.

The man rushed in to jab her and she swayed to the side to dodge. She hit his chin with an uppercut. Once again she hit a hard hollow surface that seemed to protect the man from her hits. She realized the rough texture from his face was wood. Right as she had upper cut him he got her with a low blow to the stomach. She groaned painfully through her teeth but still stood in action. She dropped to the floor and her long leg shot up in the air to kick his face up. Whether his face was protected to not, she'd find a way to break it.

He grabbed her leg right before she could kick it and began pulling her. He spun his body around with his strong grip on her leg. He flung her body against a cold brick wall and her back cracked as it crashed into it. She felt the sharp bricks scrape her back. She tasted the bitter saltiness from the blood emerging from her clenching gums inside her mouth. She spat some of it beside her.

"Ooh I'm gonna f-ck you up" she spat out at him. She rushed in once again. By surprise he ran at her too and held his arm out. He close lined her onto the floor and her head smashed against the concrete. She felt the sharp throbbing pain shoot through the back of her head as it bounced off the floor once she fell. Her vision blurred and once she adjusted her vision the man was hovering over her, pointing the knife at her eye. He was on one knee and for some odd reason, although she couldn't identify his face in the darkness and because of her head injury, she knew he was smiling. She felt the cringe of disgust burning inside her.

"Looks like you're outta time governor. We meet again"

To his surprise she smiled back at him as she lifted her arm up to reveal that he was at her gunpoint. He hadn't realized that the wall he had thrown her into was where he had kicked the gun away earlier. She raised the gun to his eye.

"An eye for an eye is it?" She raised a brow at him, content with her plan and how it worked out to distract him. He stood up and released his blade. She saw it shine as it hit the floor and she stood up cautiously with him still at gunpoint. Her head was spinning from when she hit it on the concrete. She struggled to keep her threatening gaze on him. She heard a sadistic laugh escape him.

Suddenly a horrific gasp came from the helpless woman who was once lying on the floor in tears. Ashelin turned to look and realized another man held her the woman by the neck at gunpoint to her head. She gasped for air and squealed for help as she kicked desperately to be set free.

About ten other men revealed themselves from the shadows. They all seemed to be holding guns and she only had one pistol. Usually she'd be able to take them all down either way but now there was a hostage. Unlike her father, as governor of the city she cared for her people. She didn't want one of them to die because of her.

"Drop your weapon or the girl gets it" the man holding the helpless woman tightened his grip on her neck and Ashelin heard her hack and choke. She knew she had no choice but to give in. She slid her gun onto the floor and kicked it toward the group of men. She cringed in disgust as she heard the men laugh in victory. She silently wished there wasn't a hostage or they would've all been dead by now.

She dug her nails into her palms as she stared ahead at the woman, "Let her go. It's me you want"

The man that she was fighting with grabbed her shoulders and whispered into her ear, knowing she was now defenseless. "My, what a good governor you are, taking care of your people" he looked up at the man in front of them, "Release the woman"

The woman dropped to the floor and grabbed her neck, gasping for lost air. She desperately scrambled to her feet from her knees and ran away from them. Ashelin could still hear her sobbing in the distance.

The man chopped her in the back of her neck with his hand. Ashelin fell to the floor and her vision grew blurry again. She was losing consciousness. She heard the man whisper to her lying on the floor, "I don't make deals with my prey. Hey you, kill that woman"

Panic rose up inside of her as she struggled to stay conscious. She scraped the ground with her fingernails but was unable to get up. She felt someone lift her up and throw her inside of what seemed to be a two-passenger zoomer. Her unfocused jade eyes tried to follow the one man sent to pursue the woman and kill her. Ashelin used all of her strength to go for her trump card. She reached to her ankle and grabbed a grenade that she had strapped to it under her pants. She brought it to her teethe and pulled out the pin. As the zoomer sped away she managed to throw it out.

Her weak hand fell next to her throbbing head, as everything around her was growing black. She felt relieved when the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was the loud explosion from the grenade she had thrown. Hopefully that would give the woman enough time to escape and provide the commotion that would stop the other man from pursuing her.

_Run! Run as far as you can! Please…get Torn. _

The image of the strong firm man covered in jagged black ink and sea blue eyes was the last thing she saw before her world turned black and the throbbing pain in her head vanished.

The music continued to blast inside the Naughty Ottsel. Torn was still leaning on the bar lost in his worries. His ears perked up when his sharp senses picked up the very vague sound of an explosion nearby. His brows furrowed. He turned his eyes to Jinx who seemed to have heard the same thing. Jinx nodded in acknowledgment as he apologized to the women still cooing all over him and began to leave the booth.

Torn heard the loud rushing thumps down the stairs and the back door slam open. Jak rushed through it with his blond hair ruffled and he was straightening the collar of his racing jacket. His solemn face met Torn's equal gaze. It seemed Torn wasn't imagining things. There was an explosion alright and it probably wasn't a good thing.

No one seemed to hear it because of the booming speakers and the rumbling floors that disguised the light vibrations that the explosion sent off. Torn didn't want to alarm the people in the bar unless it was necessary. He beckoned Jak to walk toward him as Jinx brushed through the dancing crowd to meet them.

Right before Jak could walk away Keira's hand tugged his shoulder and he looked back into the hall, catching the Vulcan Fury from Tess' weapon room that Keira had thrown to him. She gave him a thumbs up. She knew it was time for Jak to get into action. Jak nodded and strapped the gun on his back with the straps that Keira had also provided for him. Keira smiled and took out his Mar emblem from his shirt, patting it proudly before releasing him. He walked toward Torn who was checking his pistols to make sure they were fully loaded and unlocking the safeties. Jinx was doing the same.

The three calmly laid back on the bar, scanning the bar for any strange movement. Torn held the gun against his shoulder as he ordered Jak, "Tell Daxter to cut the music"

Tess was observing the three and picked up that there was something wrong. She didn't work in the Underground under Torn for nothing. The girl had a keen sense for things. She knew Torn's facial expressions well. She crawled on top of the liquor cabinets and signaled Daxter to cut off the music without waiting for Jak.

The orange ottsel lowered his sunglasses and raised an eyebrow in question. He saw Tess point to the three men leaning on the bar with their weapons cocked and ready. Daxter's eyes widened as he turned down the music, "Sorry folks but its break time. Free drinks on the house"

The crowd cheered and thankfully the distraction Daxter provided worked. The crowd began to emerge toward the bar so the three men could head toward the exit unnoticed. Daxter managed to hop on and off the shoulders of the passing crowd to make it to Jak's shoulder. Keira slipped behind the bar to help Tess pass drinks to the crowd overflowing the bar area for free drinks.

Torn expected the frigid air of the night to cool his face as he walked outside but he was wrong. The smell of smoke and burning debris filled his nostrils and he saw the orange glowing cinders floating in the air from wherever the explosion originated from.

Torn nodded at Jinx and Jak by his side. Torn hopped into his two-passenger FL zoomer as Jak hopped into his Falcon combat vehicle. They followed the heat being carried by the night wind until they saw a woman emerging from the clouds of gray smoke. She was covered in gray soot upon her feminine face streaked with black tears. Gray ashes speckled across her once ebony curls as she ran toward them waving her arms for help. Torn and Jak brought their vehicles to a harsh halt as Jinx hopped out without waiting for it to stop.

He ran toward the woman who fell into his arms, sobbing and trying to brush the soot from her eyes. Jinx pulled out a rag from his back pocket and helped her wipe her eyes. Torn and Jak were already behind him. Jinx looked down at the trembling woman in his arms while on their knees, "Are you injured?"

She shook her head as she continued to wipe her black eyes with Jinx's rag. Her gray eyes fluttered open, bloodshot and full of fear. "There was a bunch of them. They-they tied me up- they-" She was struggling to speak between her hyperventilating breaths.

"What the f-ck happened here!" Torn looked around to see the large orange flames rising up from nearby the underpass. Jak and Daxter had walked ahead to scan the area for clues.

Jinx brushed the messy hair from the woman's face, trying to calm her. "Calm down lady. Breath. Tell us what happened"

She raised her trembling finger toward the burning inferno as she spoke in her cracking voice, "They-they took her"

Torn's eyes widened as he dropped to one knee besides Jinx and the woman. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Took her? Took who?"

_Oh my God! Please, not Ashelin! Anything but that!_

He felt the panic begin to rise from his chest and an unfamiliar feeling bubble inside his stomach. It was fear.

He heard Daxter's nervous voice call out to him from Jak's shoulder, "Uh Torn? You're not gonna like this…"

Torn looked up to see Jak's worried gaze looking at him. He was shaking his head and whispered, "I'm sorry Torn"

_Sorry! Sorry for wha-_

His wide eyes finally focused on what was being cradled in Jak's hand. He stared at the red and black metal pistol in Jak's nervous fingers. It was Ashelin's. She had set off the grenade to help the woman escape and to alert the others.

Torn shook his head, in denial of what was happening.

_Ashelin, I'm sorry. I failed as your commander and as a man…I failed to protect you._

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**OMG I love this chapter. I don't know why but I just do. I like how I put all the guys into action mode and all the drama in it. I dunno I thought it came out really well. Even though I felt I could've done better with the fight between Ashelin and her obvious assassin (who you should know who it is by now) but everything after that I thought came out good. I think it was because I was listening to alternative music while typing it up and you know how they say music changes your mood and inspires your ideas. I should do that more often don't you think?**


	10. Chapter 10 : Rude Awakening

**Big round of applause for all my reviewers so far! Sometimes ppl read my stories but they're too lazy to review and I think I'm losing fans. They don't know how much their reviews really mean to me so that's why I'm giving a shout out to the ones that actually take the time to review and let me know they're reading my work. **

**Jak fan, Ecohorse, GoodMorningBeautiful2005, mecca-dog, Luv2Game, Nefertari22, Jaksgirl.not (My first fan), Avacado Platypus (awesome description skills in her battle scenes), Johny (anom.), SilverEyes18, StormPhoenix, DL-Cinny-La-Mejor…big hugs to all. Some review more than others but hey, I know who you are. Thanks guys and enjoy. I won't be updating for another week.**

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**Chapter 10**

She stared at her bare feet walking on an invisible floor in the darkness. It was cold and felt like walking on glass. It seemed as if her body was bare and she rubbed the sides of her arms as she walked aimlessly into blackness. Her eyes struggled to see anything that she could possibly find but there was nothing but infinite darkness. She called out but only her echo greeted her in return. Finally she saw a light, similar to the one in her nightmare except this light was more inviting. She walked toward it to see the back of a familiar shadow. She recognized his brown locks and the black ink upon his chiseled arms. She tried to call out his name but no voice came from her lips.

As she was about to step into the light, a line of sharp pain shot through her stomach. She dropped to her knees and held her stomach in an effort to end her pain but she felt it again. She raised her hands to her face to see where the warm moisture was from and she saw that her palms were covered in blood. The pain lashed at her navel again and she gritted her teeth, trying to reach out to the light and tried to whisper his name.

"Torn…" her raspy voice cracked through her dry mouth and cracked lips. The light was blinding her and she squinted her eyes as her eyelids lifted up painfully. A throbbing pain throttled in her head and she felt the fresh stings on her navel from when she was in darkness. She tried to lift her head but she felt weak.

The long black leather lashed at her bleeding navel once again and laughter echoed all around her. She winced in pain. She slowly raised her head up as her vision began to clear. Her wrists were bound and she felt like she was against a sharp brick wall.

_Where-where am I? What the hell's going on?_

Just as her hazy questions tugged at her mind, her memories suddenly flooded back into her and she had answered her own questions.

_I was in Haven. I was kidnapped. _

Her vision finally cleared as she stared up at a familiar face. His brown eyes showed pleasure and his green vest was spattered in crimson stains. His goggles were snuggly wrapped around his neck and his brown hair was sweaty. A sly grin spread across his face as he looked upon the powerful governor of Haven, now helpless and in their cruel hands.

"I was wondering when you was gonna wake up. I got tired of waiting so I decided to give you a hand with this" he took his whip and lashed it once again at her bare stomach already covered in about four or five bleeding cuts. Her jacket had been removed and her top was ripped and dirty. Her pants had been cut to reveal her smooth bare legs. She was guessing that he would whip those next.

"Edje" She gritted his name in disgust through her teeth as she withheld the pain.

"Wow, it is an honor. I feel glad that you remember my name. It'll be a nice memory before you meet your death" His smile widened as he made his sarcastic remark.

Ashelin growled at him. Her eyes shifted and scanned her surroundings. She was in a large auto parts warehouse. The wood was old and there were few windows. The windows were higher up onto the open second floor balcony and some of the light bulbs were flashing. There were numerous barrels, rusty metal scraps, empty auto shells and boxes piled up everywhere. Her eyes widened as she saw numerous men begin to emerge from their hiding places.

_Shit! I had no idea that there was this many. Exactly how many followers did Mizo have? _

Torn had shared the details he had discovered about the rebellion forming in Kras City against Rayn by Cutter. However he failed to mention anything other than that. She silently cursed herself for not prying him for more information. He said he didn't want to share any more information until he was sure the information related to anything or was vital. Maybe she wouldn't be feeling so confused if she knew more.

There were about 200 men. She never realized how practically all of Kras City was full of criminals. She was amazed how she truly thought Haven City was bad. At least Haven held some decent citizens. Kras seemed to be full of gun wielding thugs. It kind of reminded her of Spargus where everyone walked around with weapons and hunted animals and artifacts in the Wasteland.

"Would ya look at that? Everyone came out to see the princess wake up"

"Tell me, tell me where I am!"

"Sorry no can do. That would spoil the fun" His laughter triggered the other men to laugh as well.

She paused for a moment, staring at her wrists bond in metal cuffs to the brick wall. Her eyes got caught to the black watch on her wrist. She had a plan.

"Tell me, how long have I been out?"

"So you haven't realized, a day has already passed since we took you"

_Oh shit! Has it really been that long? Torn must be running around the city going crazy by now._

"W-what time is it?"

"Lady, you think we got clocks in here?"

"Can you please look at my watch and tell me the time"

Edje laughed, "You know for a prisoner you sure ask a lot of questions and have a lot of requests. You think you can get royal treatment here? Especially with that stunt you pulled with the grenade"

She stared up at him pleading with her eyes, trying to look helpless and earn some pity. He sighed in defeat and shrugged his shoulders as he walked over to her wrist against the wall. The cover on her watch seemed to be off so his fingers searched for a small button to open it. He finally found it and pressed it, causing the cover to flip up and he glanced at it.

"Four in the afternoon"

Ashelin nodded as Edje backed away "Why aren't I dead yet?"

Just as Edje was about to reply, another man emerged from the shadows. It was Cutter. He was the one who had attacked her and she couldn't injure his face. She saw that her elbow sent a slight crack down the middle of his wooden mask. He took the whip from Edje and calmly walked up to her. He lifted her chin up to snarl at her and then released her. She felt his hot breath on her cheek as he spoke.

"What's wrong governor? Do you want to die?"

She turned her face from him and didn't answer. He pulled out his blade from his back pocket and began to lightly rip it against her bare leg. She felt it sting but her face showed no emotion. Pain was something she was already used to from the past wars.

"We'd like your city governor. Kras isn't enough"

She spun her head back to him, "I'd rather die before willingly giving up my city to the likes of you"

He cupped her chin again, "Wouldn't you like that? As a matter of fact, so would I…however we can't just kill you and expect that it is all over"

She looked up at him, confused and searching for answers.

"We need to get your second in command and the Eco racer that won the Kras City Championship"

"Hah, you think you can kill them so easily?" She mocked him with the weak smile she was able to form.

"Oh don't worry Ashelin Praxis, I have more up my sleeve than you think. You should know me better than that"

Once again she was confused, "What do you mean?"

He brought his body against hers, not caring that her blood was shedding on him. He whispered into her face. "Don't you recognize me? I didn't think you remembered when I saw you on the tracks but I remember you. I remember you very well"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He backed away and let his sadistic laughter escape his mask. He slowly began to peel off the wooden cover from his face. She thought he wore it because he had a mutation or something but once he revealed his face, her eyes widened in shock. Her jaw dropped at the familiar face smiling deviously at her.

"Oh my God! You-you look just like him!"

Right after she had yelled out to him he rushed forward and jabbed her in her bleeding navel. The lights and colors of the room began to spin. The voices around her began to blur. She heard Cutter's voice in the distance.

"We can't have her knowing too much. You, set up the trap"

Once again her world grew black and she entered the cold darkness again.

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**Yeah I beat up Ashelin in this story. Hey she could take the pain right? She's a tough girl. So Cutter has more to his identity than we think hmm and there's obviously a bigger motive to kidnapping her than just wanting her city. Also how does Mizo link to the fingerprint? All will be revealed soon. Not in the next chap but soon so look forward to it.**


	11. Chapter 11 : Discovered

**Finally an update…Must go on…so tired…Kingdom Hearts calling…Daxter calling…too much to do…arghh!**

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**Chapter 11**

The war room and the computer room were bustling with crowding soldiers from wall to wall. Typing keyboards, numerous conversations and orders were bouncing from person to person. The green and blue lights from the computer monitors blinked and beeped constantly. Everyone was on duty and on high alert.

The commander paced around the room checking the status of every soldier and employee in his sight. He had already sent search squads into the city to look for any clues and evidence. The city was being turned inside out until they could find any sign of their governor. Word was sent to Rayn to do her part in Kras. They even sent an urgent message to Sig in Spargus. Rumors of a war were beginning to spread.

Jinx had been sent with the woman who was held hostage. She revealed her name to be Omoi after she had calmed down and Jinx had been assigned to watch her until further instructions. The woman had seen too much so it made her a possible target for Ashelin's kidnappers. Jak and Daxter went to stock up on weapons and Eco in case they needed it. Keira agreed to upgrade their vehicles and Tess would upgrade the weapons.

Ashelin had been missing for over twenty-four hours. It was already almost four in the afternoon and as much as the commander tried to keep his authoritative composure, the soldiers saw the dark bags sagging under his bloodshot eyes. He hadn't slept since and had been running around doing everything in his power to find her.

Torn rushed up to one of the women on the computers searching through data files and looking through the surveillance cameras through out Haven. He bent down to speak to her, "Anything yet?"

She shook her head, "No sir, nothing yet. It seems that they knocked out the camera underneath the underpass so unless we can get a glimpse from a nearby camera in the area, we have nothing. It might not even show us enough"

Torn's tired eyes furrowed as he stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, "Alright thanks"

Torn squeezed through the crowd of soldiers and employees. He managed to slip into a supply closet unnoticed. He pulled the string to turn on the old blinking light bulb as he rested his head on the wooden wall. It felt like standing in a box but he needed to get away for a bit. He sighed as he buried his face into his hands. He stood still for a moment before he released a powerful punch into the wall. Clouds of dust spat off from the wall and a bucket fell off the top shelf and clunked him on the head. He grunted and cursed under his breath.

"Ashelin where the hell are you!"

The confused workers inside the war room and computer room all turned to look at the supply room door. They shook their heads at the sound of their commander obviously losing it. The door slammed open and Torn had returned to his professional demeanor. Everyone spun their heads back to their duties.

Just then Jak walked in accompanied by his furry companion on his shoulder. He walked up to Torn. "Everything's ready to go. Have you found any signs of her yet?"

Torn's eyes met the floor as he shook his head. He wore disappointment on his face. Jak placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault Torn. Stop blaming yourself"

Torn nodded as he made his way toward the war room with Jak and Daxter following. On the way he passed two soldiers on break, chattering about the possibilities of a war and everything happening. He couldn't help but flinch at their gossiping words.

He suddenly heard one of them whisper to the other, not realizing he was approaching them from behind. "I don't even think she's still alive by now"

Without thinking Torn grabbed the soldier by the neck and threw him up against a wall. He squealed in fear and held his hands up in apology. His body trembled in his commander's fatal grip.

"Don't you ever, ever say that again in my presence! One thing you learn in war is never assume unless something is confirmed you got it!" His voice rumbled through the room and stunned silence spread from the shocked people watching their commander.

The man continued to wave his hands up, shielding his face, "I- I'm sorry sir"

Torn felt Jak's hand on his shoulder once again. Torn released the soldier. He snarled at him and lifted his fist up as if he was going to punch him. "Get back to work!" he ordered and the soldier nodded, quickly darting into the computer room.

"Torn, I think you need to get some fresh air" Jak released his comforting grip from Torn's shoulder.

"Yeah, you don't look too hot" Daxter added.

Torn shook his head, "How could I? She's close. I can feel it. I just wish I could do something other than ordering everyone else around and caring for this damn city"

Just then they heard a call emerge from the computer room. Gasps and excited voices of relief were coming from the room as Torn, Jak and Daxter rushed back in. Torn walked over to a woman scanning the computer awaiting Ashelin's transmitter to go so she could be tracked. He bent down to see a map form and a glowing red dot. His eyes widened.

"Commander, we got a signal. Four PM, in the outskirts of Kras City"

Torn placed his hand on her shoulder as he stared at the screen, "Can you give me an exact location?"

She nodded and typed something quickly. The map zoomed into the red dot and it blinked, as it got closer. She clicked on it with her mouse and a box popped up with a coordinates.

Torn read the coordinates and stood up, "Map, get me a map now!"

A soldier timidly approached Torn with a hand full of maps. Torn snatched one of them out of his hands and unrolled it. Jak helped to hold the large map open as Torn's finger traced the coordinates.

"She's in an auto parts warehouse"

"So what do we do now? It could be a trap" Jak looked to Torn for answers.

Torn thought for a minute with his hand to his chin. He looked around at the rest of the Freedom League awaiting instructions from their commander. He looked onto the soldier who handed him the map.

"You, what's your name private?"

He raised his hand to his head as he stuttered, "J-Jigs sir"

He was a slim red headed young man. His hair was slightly spiky and he had large deep emerald eyes.

Torn raised an eyebrow at him, "You seem familiar. Have we spoken personally before?"

"U-um well I was assigned to guard the office the day that the governor received the letter and assigned to guard her room that night, gulp, sir"

"Yeah I remember you, where's your partner?"

Another cowardly soldier emerged from the crowd, "R-right here sir"

"Identify yourself and remove your helmets"

They obeyed as the other revealed his name, "Myke, I mean my name is Myke sir!"

They looked a bit similar, as if they were possibly related although they weren't. His hair was more of an auburn and his green eyes were lighter than Jigs. Their age explained their clumsiness and timid personalities. It was obvious they had joined the FL after the war with Erol and the Dark Makers were over. They still had new recruit blood in them but for some reason Torn saw some potential in these two men, just like he had seen in Jak when he first met him. He gave him a hard time in the beginning but he proved himself and he hoped these two men would do the same.

A smirk spread across Torn's face as he grabbed both their shoulders and gave them a friendly shake. "Relax, you don't have to be so shaken up all the time. We're a team remember?"

Their eyes widened, stunned by the sudden friendliness from their commander who had once punched them for falling asleep on guard duty. Jigs looked at Myke and he just shrugged his shoulders, just as confused as him.

"Listen guys, I'm gonna let you redeem yourselves from when you fell asleep on guard duty and let the governor out from your sights. I need you to find two other soldiers, Anya and Seij. They should be patrolling outside. Once you get them, meet me back here in the war room asap"

"B-but sir, what are we gonna do?" questioned Jigs.

Torn's smile turned serious. "Jak, get Jinx and tell him to get over here, even if he has to come with that woman" Jak nodded and walked away. "We know where she is but it could be a trap. We don't know how many men they have. The clock is ticking and we have one hell of a battle waiting for us, but I have a plan"

**-------------------------------------------------------**

**Spoiled again, onto the next chapter you spoiled fans you!**


	12. Chapter 12 : A Man's Strength

**I was half asleep writing this, trying to be the writing machine I say I am. I hate leaving chapters unfinished when I write them so no matter how late it is sometimes I push it a bit Lol. If there's any mistakes please point them out, meaning misspellings or I got a name wrong or something. I won't go back to add a comma or something small like that, too tired. ZzzZzz Anyway enjoy Zzzz.**

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**Chapter 12**

Jak hovered over the large war room table with his eyes on Torn as he prepared to strategize. A map of the warehouse and its surrounding perimeters was laid out before them. It was already covered in Torn's markings of lines and calculations. Daxter tapped his foot on Jak's shoulder, obviously annoyed by the sly grin and the smoke blowing his way from Jinx. Omoi was sleeping inside a guest room guarded by two FL guards in place of Jinx. Jigs and Myke had found Seij and Anya and brought them to the war room as ordered. Now they all eagerly awaited their commander's thoughts.

Torn looked up from deep thought at the soldiers in front of him. He took a deep breath before he stood up. He had a determined look on his face as his blue eyes furrowed from concentration. This was an operation that he had to come up with quickly and it left no room for failure. It had to be executed with utmost perfection. Not only did the governor's life depend on this but the status of the city. He eyed Jinx to put out the cigar and to Daxter's relief Jinx nodded and put it out. Now was not the time for games.

"Alright men, so we understand how this works right? I'm assigning two main units of men. We can't bring all of the FL on this mission since most of them need to be here to guard the city in case of the worst. The governor would have it no other way. Her people come first. As for us, the two main units will be lead by Seij and Anya, Jigs and Myke. We will surround the premises but no will enter until I give the signal. I'm going in first. Jak and Jinx, you know what to do"

Jinx and Jak nodded. "Yeah, you send us in to be the target practice in case of worst case scenario but what can be worse than that!" Daxter waved his arms in protest and Jak grinned although his comment was ignored.

"I'm counting on Jinx for the explosives he'll be planting on the roof and Jak will be my back up man in case anything goes wrong while I'm in there. They must not sense your presence. This is a stealth mission for the both of you. That means you shut your pie hole Daxter!" Torn pointed his finger at the orange ottsel on Jak's shoulder and he smiled nervously.

Torn continued, "Take out anyone that sees you and rid the bodies from the eyes of their comrades. I will be providing the distraction and speaking to Cutter to free the governor. We are not to attack unless they do not agree with our terms or something goes wrong. Remember this mission is to protect and save Haven's governor at all costs. Hopefully if this goes right, we can just arrest them on charges of treason, kidnapping and assault and everyone will be fine. Any questions, speak now because we won't have the time when we're there"

Torn looked to the others, searching for any doubts or question in their eyes. Jinx, Jak and Daxter nodded in determination as well as Seij and Anya. However his gaze met Jigs and Mykes and he saw their inner struggle of whether or not to say what was on their minds. Torn smiled at their nervousness as he crossed his arms.

"Yes Jigs and Myke?"

It seemed that they were both caught off guard and didn't expect their commander to see right through them. They hesitated and Torn knew they needed some privacy.

"Get your men together and get the supplies. We'll be leaving as soon as possible"

Everyone nodded and exited the war room, leaving Jigs and Myke alone with their commander. Torn motioned for them to continue now that they had privacy.

Jigs pulled on his collar nervously, "Well sir, no disrespect but we were wondering, with such a serious mission…why-why trust us to it?"

Torn simply smirked and they stared at him puzzled. He walked around the table to place a reassuring hand on both their shoulders as he spoke. "Men, do you have something precious to you that you want to protect?"

Myke raised a finger, "W-well yeah…my girl"

Torn nodded and turned to Jigs for his answer. "U-umm well…" He hesitated as a drop of sweat trickled down his nose. Myke eyed him to spit it out. Jigs mumbled, "My mother"

Torn released a laugh neither of them had ever heard before. He shook Jigs. "Good, good, mothers are good too. Well the reason why I chose the both of you is because I feel like we have something in common"

"We do?" Myke asked as he raised a surprised eyebrow at his usually serious commander.

"Yes, this mission isn't only to protect our governor but our city. So on this mission I want you guys to not only think of it as protecting the governor of Haven as a Freedom League soldier but as protecting those most precious to you. You guys remind me a lot of me in my new recruit days and I see a lot of potential on the two of you"

"S-sir!" Jigs eyes began to glisten and Myke's cheeks were growing pink from the awkward moment between the three of them. Jigs opened his arms and motioned toward his commander. Torn's eyes widened and he automatically raised his hands up to defend himself from the incoming hug.

"Ok soldiers, don't get carried away" He cleared his throat, "Enough with the nice stuff. It's time for the raid. Don't prove my faith in you wrong"

They both raised their hands against their heads in respective stances. "Sir! We will complete the mission sir! We will not let you down"

"Good, now let's get going"

One hundred of the FL's available men and women were gathered and packed into zoomers and combat vehicles. They quietly made their way through the dark frigid night towards the direction of Kras City. Everyone was briefed on his or her duties on the mission and they knew that it left no room for failure. Not only was their governor's life on the line but so were their commanders as well as their fellow comrades in arms.

Finally after about an hour drive they parked about five minutes from the warehouse. It was a deserted grassland in the outskirts of the city. All that was heard was the chirping crickets beneath the green grass blades. The trees hushed in the breezes as the shadows of wings flew across the white full moon. It was obvious why Cutter had chosen such a place away from prying eyes.

Torn bit his bottom lip nervously as he stepped out from his vehicle. He motioned for the two teams to be assembled. Fifty men each team excluding their leaders along with Torn, Jak, Daxter and Jinx. They stood in five rows of ten, aligned with each other in perfection with their bodies stiffened in respective stances.

Anya and Seij held their guns at their sides as they paced back and forth in front of their team, barking orders and observing the status of their men. Jigs and Myke were still nervous but thanks to their commander's pep talk they regained some confidence in themselves. They organized their team and checked their status. Jigs unexpectedly tapped Myke on the shoulder and he turned to him with a questioning _hmm_.

"W-well I just wanted to say that- I'm not only here to protect the city's governor or my mother but you as well, my brother in arms and my friend"

Myke grinned underneath his helmet. He and Jigs were childhood friends and both joined the FL at the same time. Myke threw his arm around Jigs and shook him. His eyes were wide and glistening with joy. "I love you too man"

Suddenly they realized the strange and puzzled gazes they were receiving from their team. Myke and Jigs turned to look at each other and gasped, jumping away from each other quickly. Myke raised his hands up in innocence, "U-um it's not like that"

Jigs cleared his throat and tried to sound more masculine, "Y-yeah so get back to work. We're here on a mission remember"

Meanwhile Jak, Daxter and Jinx were stocking up on their weapons and supplies. Torn nodded to himself, satisfied with the organization of the two teams of men and their leaders. Torn walked over to his vehicle and opened the trunk. He pulled out a gray lab suitcase and he leaned on the side of the car away from his soldiers. He popped it open on the ground and stared at the clear syringes full of black bubbling liquid. They gave off a purple hue in the moonlight. He pulled out a large rubber band and tied it around his arm so that his the purple vein would pop from the inside of his elbow. He used his teethe to pop off the top to the needle and spit it out into the grass. He failed to hear the footsteps storming towards his as he aimed the needle at his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jak grabbed Torn's hand before it could inject the needle into his arm. Torn looked up at the blond's angry gaze and sighed before lowering the needle to his side. Jak released his hand and awaited an explanation.

Daxter's eyes widened, "J-Jak…is that what I think it is?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? I think you're familiar enough with it to know what it is" Torn scowled at him. It was a reaction Jak didn't expect but he continued to pry.

"You can't do that Torn" Jak gritted between his clenching teeth. Veins bulged from the sides of his temples as he locked eyes with Torn. Torn shared an equal stare full of anger. Neither one of them seemed to back down.

"I don't remember asking your opinion"

"Dark Eco is fatal! Your body won't accept it. You don't know what kind of side effects you'll get from it and that's if that dosage you're about to inject doesn't kill you first!" Jak's voice grew loud toward the end as his face inched closer to Torn's. Unexpectadely Torn retaliated and brought his face near Jak's as well. He needed to show Jak that he wasn't intimidated and no one was going to change his mind about this decision. He clenched his fists at his sides, still holding the syringe.

"What the f-ck do you expect me to do huh!"

Jak stood back, still holding his firm gaze. Now was not the time to be fighting and it would discourage the soldiers. Daxter watched them nervously. Torn leaned on the car again and used his free hand to massage the back of his neck. There was a long pause between them as their heavy breathing steadied. Their bodies relaxed and their anger was brought to a simmer.

"I may not have been blessed by the precursors with Light powers nor was I cursed with the immunity to Dark Eco. I'm just a man…a man with my own strength and I need to protect what's most important to me at all costs. If you didn't have those powers and it was Keira in there, what would you do?"

He looked up at Jak for a response. His words hit Jak hard as his angry gaze softened. He was right. Torn didn't have any special powers or special gadgets. He would've done the same if he didn't have his powers and it were Keira in there. As much as he feared his friend's life, he knew he couldn't stop him just like if it were the other way around, Torn wouldn't try to stop Jak.

Jak finally nodded and placed a hand on Torn's shoulder and squeezed. He released it and took off his racing jacket. His firm arms were already bare with the short sleeve shirt he was wearing under his jacket. He bent down to tie a rubber band on his arm and grabbed a syringe for himself. He stood up next to Torn.

They shared a quick gaze of understanding before they brought their eyes to each of their arms. They slowly injected the deadly liquid into their veins. Jak's body was already immune to Dark Eco so the pain he used to feel had grown numb over time. Yet even though Jak was calm, he knew Torn's was feeling it cutting through him. His body was never exposed to Dark Eco. Jak remembered his first dosage from the Baron's experiments. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Jak knew Torn would never express pain or weakness in front of his soldiers.

Torn clenched his teeth and his knuckles paled as he injected the liquid into his arm. He clenched his fist as the clear glass syringe emptied. It wasn't a large dose compared to the ones that Jak was going to inject into himself but it was enough to make him feel the burn inside. The foreign liquid began to course through his veins. He held the pain in him as he placed the needle back into the suitcase. He freed his arm from the rubber band as he stood on one knee staring at the suitcase.

Jak bent down beside him, "You ok?"

Torn nodded and stood back up. Jak injected himself with the left over two syringes, which was a full dosage for him. He closed the suitcase and handed it over to Torn who locked it inside the trunk of his vehicle. Jak put his racing jacket back on and began to strap his weapon to his back. He turned to Torn who was leaning on his vehicle with his arms crossed. His hand covered the black scar marking the entrance in which the Dark Eco entered his veins. He looked on ahead with a clenching jaw. It was admirable how he was dealing with the pain even though it was only the beginning stages.

"You and Jinx go on ahead. You know what to do. I'll do one last check up on the men before I head there"

Jak nodded, "Good luck my friend" He tried to grin and hide his concern. Torn shared a counterfeit grin with him as well. Jak turned to walk over to Jinx and they began walking toward the warehouse. Vehicles and zoomers would attract too much attention.

Daxter whispered down to Jak, "Oh boy, Ashelin's gonna kill you if she finds out you let tattoo wonder pump himself up with Dark Eco"

"Yeah well I'll be fine with that. As long as Torn makes it out alive to see it" He hushed his companion as they continued forward.

He couldn't help the worry tugging at his insides and the uneasiness bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help feeling that letting Torn use Dark Eco was a bad idea. He hoped that he wouldn't regret his decision. He hoped that Dark Eco wouldn't do to him what it did to others. He hoped it wouldn't kill him or even worse, turn him into a bloodthirsty demon with no sense of friend or foe. If that were to happen then he'd only endanger the governor instead of save her. He knew what the sane Torn would want him to do if it came to that. To prevent him from hurting Ashelin, he'd want Jak to kill him.

**----------------------------------------------------**

**Bet you didn't expect Torn to do that huh? Just so you guys know since I will be mentioning Eco more, I think Eco comes in many forms as you may have noticed so I just imagine it can be drank, applied, injected, used in weaponry etc. So Torn is pumped with a foreign liquid coursing through his veins. Will it prove to help the mission or make it worse? What effect will it have? Who is Cutter and what is his motive? Will they save Ashelin? Gotta wait for the next update guys, sorry.**


	13. Chapter 13 : The Real Motive

**:Runs from GMB: **

"**EEK! I'm sorry, I know I put Dark Eco in Torn but I promise, it'll all work out!"**

**:RenjiLuvah runs into a cell and locks herself in, sticks her tongue out: **

"**HAH can't get me now!"**

**:GMB smiles and RenjiLuvah looks at Serena for answers. Serena shrugs her shoulders. RenjiLuvah's eyes widen at the realization:**

"**Oh crap now I can't leave either…DAMN! OK I've updated! Calm down ok. Oh and Jakfan, as for what you said in your review…can't promise that Muahahaha. The writing machine will have so much fun with Torn!"**

**:GMB eyes Renjiluvah:**

**:speaks nervously: "Gulp, don't worry, when have you known my stories to end badly? Heh heh…"**

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**Chapter 13**

The underground dungeons of the Baron's palace reeked of death. Dried crimson stains spattered the gray stone slabs surrounding the halls and cells. Rats hid in holes bitten in the corners and the damp pipes overhead was covered in auburn rust. Voices echoed in the halls behind the banging of the pipes crawling on the ceilings. Some of the lights flickered and dimmed and the large steel doors drowned out the screams of the Baron's victims.

Ashelin walked through the halls calmly as she tried to ignore the goose bumps on her skin. She hated the dungeons. She hated what her father did in them. She heard a strained cry from a nearby cell of a voice unfamiliar to her. She flinched at the painful yells but once her father looked down on her, she returned to her solemn expression. She felt her passionate hatred burning inside her. She couldn't wait till the day he'd meet his demise.

A devious smirk spread upon his lips, "That's our Dark Eco subject. We've had him for a year and he still refuses to give in to its effects. We could probably use him if he gives into it. We've already gotten the mute to scream so I'm sure he'll give into it soon"

As he laughed sadistically she heard the man give out another yell, except this time it was as if he were trying to call out a name but the pain was preventing him from reaching it. It sounded like a woman's name, began with a K. She'd never heard of her. Whoever the woman was, it must've been her memory that was keeping this Dark Eco subject from going insane or dying.

Finally they came upon another cell at the end of the hall. It was the largest room where her father liked to discuss his dirty business away from prying eyes. She couldn't understand why he'd take her down there. Had he suspected her betrayal? Had she been seen with his ex-KG soldier Torn? Had word of her helping the Shadow's Underground reached his ears? She hoped not, it was too early for their plans to be detected and they still needed time before the Baron could be taken down. They weren't strong enough yet.

The Baron closed the door behind her and locked it. She felt a nervous lump growing in her throat and clenched the cold metal of her pistol at her side in case of the worst. She met the commander's empty gaze as he grinned at her slyly. She hated Erol, she couldn't wait for him to die either. She looked upon an operating table, the silver steel tools were covered in a white sheet. She observed the curves of someone lying on the operating table also covered in a white sheet. As her father uncovered his latest victim, her eyes widened.

"I think you've met this soldier, have you not?"

Ashelin hid the panic rising inside her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her trembling fingers dug into her sweaty palms, "Yes, I have seen him before. What are you doing to him? What was his crime?" She demanded an answer. She knew this man was innocent.

"Oh we haven't done anything yet. He refused an order and abandoned his mission. So for this, he is a trader, and traders will not be allowed to live under my rule"

"How has this man betrayed you!" Her voice rose a bit although she was trying to contain her emotions. The man's golden eyes trembled and glistened as he watched their conversation with a gag in his mouth. His brows furrowed in anger at the Baron and his red wrists twisted and turned inside the steel restraints. His long ebony hair was moist in sweat and a few loose strands fell over his forehead. He was a young and handsome man. It was a shame that it had come to this.

The Baron did not give her a straight answer. "He's seen too much. In exchange for his life I ordered him to carry out a mission but he refused" His back was facing her as he stared down at his victim, still in his tattered KG uniform.

Even though her father's replies to her were vague, she could guess why he had this man arrested. She knew this man had good morals and a good heart. He was probably ordered to kill someone innocent because they had seen just as much as he did. His refusal led him here. She felt so helpless.

Without thinking she walked up to the soldier and removed his gag. He gasped for a full breath of air before he snarled, "He's full of it! I saw him, exchanging Eco with the Dar-"

Erol jabbed him in his navel and cut off his sentence. Still he continued as he winced in pain. He was trying his best to explain it to Ashelin, someone who he had grown to know as his friend when he joined the KG. "There was a child there, playing in the abandoned area- I was ordered to- ordered to kill-"

The Baron rammed his clenched fist into the man's jaw. Ashelin gasped as she watched his face fly to the side. He turned back to her slowly, breathing heavily as he looked up at her. His large eyes glistened with vulnerability. He knew, he knew she could not help him but it still pained her. She could not afford to blow her cover.

The Baron snatched the gag from the man's neck. The man cringed at him, knowing he was only removing his gag so the Baron could get the pleasure of his death screams later if there were any. The Baron turned to his daughter. "Why did you bring me here?" She yelled up at her father demanding an explanation for exposing her to this cruel event.

"I brought you here because I question your loyalty to me. Bringing you here will clarify whose side you're on since you have crossed paths with this man before. If you truly follow me then you will allow this man's death in front of your very eyes and if you object, then your loyalty to me is faulty and shall result in your own death"

Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected this. She couldn't die. She was the main spy of the Underground and the main key to save Haven from her father's wretched domination. She was the one that kept the Underground up to date with the Baron's plans.

She met the gaze of her friend lying on the operating table. He knew who she was and he knew all about the Underground and their plans for releasing the city from her father's rule. He knew that his death would play an important role in that so he'd have no choice but to give into it. He understood that her life was crucial to the future of Haven. His eyes showed understanding as she felt the pain in her heart throb and stab at her chest. He could see the pain in her eyes and he nodded to her, showing that her actions were forgiven ahead of time.

He whispered to her, "Make sure he stays out of trouble okay?" She knew whom he was referring to although she had never known him personally. He was always the subject of his conversations and worries. She had only seen him once and they barely exchanged words at the time. It seemed that was his last request to her.

He laid his head back on the table with his eyes closed. Erol hovered above him as Ashelin's body stood stiff. Her father was in front of her and slowly raised his arm up. He awaited an objection from his daughter but she stood drowning in her silence. Erol raised his cold pistol against the side of the man's head. The Baron smiled sadistically at his daughter as he brought his arm back down to signal Erol.

The loud gunshot echoed through the halls of the dungeons and a scream of his name followed right after. "Guts!"

Once again her head throbbed once the bright light greeted her squinting eyes. She struggled to open them and her head felt heavy. The blurry colors and shapes around her began to clear. She raised her head slowly to realize she was still in the warehouse. Her wrists were still bound to the wall and the crimson on her navel had long dried. She noticed some of the same markings on her bare legs but she must've been so knocked out she didn't feel a thing, thankfully. She looked out of one of the sunroofs up ahead to see the dark night sky.

_How much time has passed? Did they ever receive my signal from the transmitter?_

She turned toward a familiar and disgusting face, now bare without his wooden mask. She tried to cringe but her loss of energy prevented her. He turned to notice she had awakened and smiled as he approached her.

He raised his finger to her chin, "Nice to see you awake governor"

She snatched her face from his grasp, "Yeah so glad to see you, Mizo scum bag"

He laughed to her surprise and she raised a brow at him in question. His expression turned serious. "You hear that guys, she thinks we're doing this to follow Mizo's footsteps" The crowd of thugs laughed along with him.

"What the f-ck is so funny? Than why am I here?"

She rushed forward and slammed his hands on the wall beside her face. She turned her face and winced. She felt his hot breath on her cheek as he growled, "You know why you're here! You killed my brother!"

She gasped in shock. No wonder he had looked like him. She remembered now. His face was familiar to her. His hair matched the Ebony on his brother's head except it was shorter. His golden eyes and skin showed age since he was the older one. She had met him once before for only a few seconds a very long time ago when her father still ruled over Haven. It was part of the memories she had forced herself to forget and now they had come back to haunt her.

"I'm not responsible for killing your brother!" She yelled at him as she backed away.

He pointed at her, "Yes you are! You watched him die didn't you! He told me you was his friend! You allowed your father to kill him!"

"I had no choice! Your brother sacrificed his life willingly. He had refused a mission to kill a child who had seen my father trading Eco with the Dark Makers! He-"

"Shut up!" his hand flew across the side of her face. He stared at her with his burning gaze. "He joined the KG because of you! He knew you were working with the Underground and he wanted to be like you and you killed him in return!"

"No, he joined the KG because he wanted to make Haven a better place. He joined the KG because you were always getting into trouble and he thought that if he could change the city he could change you! Guts' last words were to look after you!"

He raised his blade to her neck. She was pressing his buttons and she knew she might have brought him to his brink. "I don't wanna hear my brother's name pass your lips again you hear?" She breathed heavily. She now knew why she was brought here, as a revenge plot for his long lost brother. It still didn't explain the rebellion he was creating against Rayn and how the fingerprint linked to Mizo. She knew time was short and it would be best to get as much information out of him as possible.

"I don't understand? If it's me you wanted, why bring Kras City and Haven into it?"

He smiled cleverly as he backed away from her. He scratched his chin as he spoke confidently. "Well Mizo was a powerful man. Many of us who knew nothing but the lives of criminals wanted to escape his reign and live life for ourselves. So once his reign was over, we got together and ransacked his hideout for his most precious belongings and secrets. There we found embossed copies of his fingerprint in which he'd lend to us whenever we needed to get into one of his facilities that required his access. He was always sure to take it back but now that we had retrieved it for ourselves, we were able to deceive you with the letter. Our rebellion against Rayn is not because we're following Mizo but because we want to form our own organization with our own rules. We want to live a life where us criminals could live freely without persecution so in order to do that, we need to rise up against Rayn and expand by taking over Haven. Killing you was just one of the extra benefits to the plan" He licked his lips as he said this.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. She had no idea that he thought up and organized such a brilliant plan. She never knew such thugs were capable of this kind of planning and thinking.

Suddenly they were interrupted when a call from Shiv echoed by the entrance of the warehouse. Cutter turned to face him as the men got into offensive stances and cocked their weapons.

"It's her commander. It seems that he is unarmed and alone. He says he wants to strike a deal and will not attack"

"Hmm, intriguing" He looked up and nodded at something, maybe toward the lone back window on the second level. Ashelin couldn't see what he was looking at since it was behind her. He smiled deviously as he walked up to her again and whispered into her neck.

"I knew he'd come for you but I'm prepared. I'm going to take away what's precious to you as you have done to me"

What was he talking about? Prepared? She suddenly remembered what he had said before she went unconscious the second time. He said something about a trap. He was going to do something to Torn somehow. She strained to look back but she couldn't see. Cutter stuffed a gag into her mouth as she desperately shook her head.

He whispered again, "Now be a good girl and watch us snipe your boyfriend"

_Oh my God! He's got a sniper hiding up ahead! Torn! Please, don't come in!_

She began to kick her legs but Cutter had pushed them back into the steel shackles against the wall. He locked the clasps around her ankles and stood up. He put his wooden mask back on his face.

He signaled Shiv at the door, "Let him in"

Ashelin watched helplessly as she saw the commander of her city walk in. The screams inside her mind were not heard. She no longer cared about what happened to her anymore. Her desperate eyes stared onto the face of the only man she had ever loved. She silently prayed that she wouldn't have to watch another death that would scar her mind for life, except this time not only would it scar her mind but her heart as well.

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**Uh oh! It's a trap! What's going to happen now? Seems like Torn's life is on the line in so many ways huh? Did you like the little hint I threw in there about the Dark Eco experiment in the dungeon. You guys should know who that was. That was Jak and he was calling out to Keira. He had been in there for a year so far and little did the Baron know he'd last for another year before Daxter would come to his rescue. I'm so clever hee hee. So now Cutter's story has been revealed. Whatcha think?**


	14. Chapter 14 : Gone Wrong

**Yeesh! When I first thought of this story I didn't think it would be this many chapters or even get this good. I thought it started off pretty weak but now look at it. Also I might not be able to update till another week maybe two, hopefully not but in case I posted this chapter up even though I was originally gonna wait so I could post up two chaps. I wanna leave U guys with something to read, however I know this cliffies gonna make some ppl scream (Like GMB Lol) so if that's the case, maybe you should wait till I update again so the cliffie won't be so bad with two chaps. If you can't wait then read on but don't say I didn't warn you. Also the name Guts is a name I got from an anime called Berserk that I thought went well. I hate that anime cause of the ending so I don't recommend watching it.**

**Ok ok I'll shut up, ya wanna see the action!**

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**Chapter 14**

Torn felt the frigid air of the night sending goose bumps along his firm and bare arms. He purposely didn't wear his uniform or his jacket so that he wouldn't look threatening. His beige racing tank top blew against his chest as the large warehouse came into view. It was strangely quiet outside of the rusted abandoned building. The walls were covered in graffiti and lights peeked through the few windows laid around it. It was a two-story building and the light shining up dimly indicated a few sunroofs.

His palms were sweaty and he felt the continuing burn through his body from the Dark Eco running through his veins. The air he breathed contracted in and out of his lungs painfully. The juices in his stomach churned violently and he tasted the bitter acid in the back of his dry mouth. His heartbeat throbbed quicker by the minute and every now and then, a sharp stab went across his ribs. His eyes burned with tempting tears and to think that the dosage he had taken wasn't nearly one-fourth the amount that Jak was already used to. He shook his head at the thought of what Jak must've went through down in the Baron's dungeons. It was getting even more painful as time wore on but the pain was something he knew he had to deal with. Right now his priority was saving the governor of Haven City, the woman he'd gladly give his life for and the woman he had already given his heart to.

He walked upon the entrance and the two goons standing by each side cocked their weapons and pointed at his head. He raised his hands up to show he was unarmed and meant no harm. Their bodies relaxed a bit but they still held their weapons to him, snarling and wondering what he wanted.

"I've come to see Cutter. I am unarmed"

One of the goons raised a suspicious brow at him before knocking at the door. It cracked open slightly and a stream of light fell upon Torn's foot. Torn kept his gaze on the entrance. He saw the familiar brown-headed man poke his head out and the goon whispered to him. He turned to Torn and his eyes widened. He stepped out with a long black leather whip in his hand. He closed the door behind him before standing in front of Torn with his arms folded in front of him.

"Whaddaya want? How'd you find this place?"

The spatter of crimson upon Edje's green vest caught Torn's eye. He tried to contain the sudden urge to grab Edje's whip and strangle him with it. His nails dug into his palms as the worry tugged at him. _God Ashelin, I hope that's not your blood or I'll…_

"I have my sources but never mind that. I came to talk to Cutter. I'd like to make a deal with him"

Edje twirled the end of his whip playfully in his fist as his other hand rubbed his chin in thought. He observed Torn up and down, noticing he was unarmed and not in uniform. He looked around to notice that he was alone. Maybe he had come to join them in exchange for the governor or he's simply giving up. He finally nodded and walked back in without a word.

As the rusted and molded steel door closed, Torn heard Edje calling out to someone. He guessed it must've been Cutter. After a few moments the door cracked open again. This time the guards moved aside and relaxed their weapons. Edje welcomed Torn through the door.

Torn stepped in and right away scanned his surroundings. Open second floor, just like he had guessed, sunroofs, another guess correct. Most warehouses shared the same layout so he was glad he depended on that knowledge to form his plan. It was an Auto Part warehouse alright, the scattered metal pieces and auto shells showed it. It would be easy to find something to use as a weapon if he needed it. He looked up briefly at one of the sunroofs but tried not to dwell his gaze there and make it too obvious.

He tried to maintain his solemn gaze as he received the deadly glares from the eyes of what must've been about 200 men. Double the amount that he had brought with him although Jak counted as more than just one man along with himself and Jinx. Hopefully that would be enough to carry everything out if things took a turn for the worse. They all clenched on their weapons and coldly stared at him, some even smiled sadistically as he walked through the path they laid out for him.

As he headed toward the back of the long warehouse, his eyes met his target. The man leaned on a table calmly with his arms folded and for some reason although his face was covered with that wretched wooden mask, Torn knew he was smiling. He tried not to cringe at the thought of it. As he approached closer he couldn't help but draw his eyes to something else that caused his head to spin unintentionally. His eyes widened unwillingly as he looked upon something that brought his blood to a boil.

There she was, her ruby hair frizzed and loose strands hanging from her head. Her jade eyes had lost life and dark bags hung under them. Her body was covered with drops of sweat and her wrists and ankles were red from the struggle to pull from the steel clasps against the brick wall. Her red lips bit down on a gag placed in between them. What stunned him the most was the thin crimson markings dried and outlined in violet and blue along her once perfect abs and legs. They looked like the work of Edje's whip. Her eyes seemed to be gleaming in tears she wouldn't allow herself to release.

_Cutter, you better pray to Mar that I'm not the one who kills you tonight because I'm gonna rip you to shreds! Matter in fact, you'd better pray to me because Mar will be sure to give you an even more gruesome death than I could ever grant! _

She was helplessly yanking the clasps and using all her energy to muffle something. She seemed like she was trying to yell something out to him but her sealed lips preventing her words from getting through. He looked at Cutter who had now moved in front of him.

"She's beautiful isn't she, with all the marks on her that match her hair and her fiery personality?"

Torn couldn't help but give Cutter a deadly glare. He fought the ferocious urges in him and he bit on his tongue to ensure it. He refused to comment on Cutter's sarcastic comment because he knew if he did, everything he had planned up till now would be wasted. He had to remain calm, at least for now.

Cutter realized he wasn't planning on responding, "So what is it that you've come here for? If you came here thinking we'd release your governor than you're sadly mistaken"

"I have an offer to make you, yes I have come here in hopes of freeing our governor peacefully but not without offering something that would benefit you"

Cutter seemed interested and motioned for Torn to go on.

"If you release her to me here and now I can reduce your sentence to charges on just assault instead of attempted murder, you can also do your time by completing missions in Haven City. Men like you are well needed. You can escape the punishment that Rayn is well planning upon you if you submit yourself to us instead. If it's money you want, that is something that can also be granted"

Cutter released a loud arrogant laugh. It set off a chain reaction of laughter from the rest of the men in the warehouse. Their laughter echoed off the walls and mocked him.

"You think that it's that easy? You think that it's money we're after? Why settle for being confined by you when I can be done with you and her and not be confined at all?" He pointed at Ashelin still struggling against the wall.

Torn's eyes furrowed as he locked gazes with Cutter. He had a feeling he'd refuse. He wished it was that easy but now it wasn't.

"Then what is it that you want? What can I give that would convince you to release her?"

He scowled at him, "Nothing, there's nothing you could give me. However there is something that you can do instead…"

His words seemed to trail off as he slowly began to pull off his wooden mask. His sly smile was revealed along with the malice in his golden eyes. Torn's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

_Oh shit! Is that…?_

Cutter had expected to catch him off guard with his real appearance and as Torn's eyes were distracted to his face, he failed to notice the glowing red dot on his forehead. He gasped and spun his head to follow the long laser flowing from the window. Just as his wide eyes locked with the stranger's through the back window of the upper level, a gunshot echoed outside and was followed by a painful grunt.

It seemed that Jinx had noticed the sniper hanging from outside the second level on the stairs. Jinx shot the sniper in his shoulder but not in time to stop the his finger from pulling the trigger. The gunshot crashed through the glass, cutting through the air toward Torn. Torn threw himself to the floor just in time. The bullet grazed his cheek as he dropped and rolled onto the dusty floor.

"Arggh!" Cutter yelled angrily as he reached for a pistol hidden in the back of his pants. As Torn dropped and rolled to avoid the sniper's shot, Cutter unlocked the safety to his pistol and pulled the trigger. Just as Torn was about to get up he felt it, he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his ribs and out his back. He knew it wasn't the Eco.

He knelt on one knee, his hands clenching the mass amount of warm moisture gushing from his chest. His stunned eyes looked down upon the throbbing pain at his palms that he was now opening. He stood staring, speechless at the blood spilled upon his hands, his blood. He felt his head spinning and his heart beat slowly coming to a halt. He looked up at Cutter's face to see his smile and finally at Ashelin who had now allowed the tears to freely streak down her cheeks. Everything was blurring and getting darker.

_Oh Ash, I'm sorry. I wanted- to protect you. I lo- love you so-_

He heard a loud roar echo around him but it seemed distant. It sounded like Jak. The last thing he saw before his eyes shut was the ground rushing up to his face and his cheek crashing against it. His fingertips clenched the dust filled concrete as he felt his cold body warm up in the pool of his own blood.

_No! I can't die! I can't-_

He gasped painfully before his eyelids unwillingly fell and his world had faded black. The life had seemed to finally drain out of him.

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**:runs from crowd of angry fans: Wait don't kill me yet! I'll update as soon as I can and I swear, I'll make it all worthwhile and it'll have a good ending!**


	15. Chapter 15 : Battle Cries

**YES Torn is dead Muahahaha! NO it's a joke::gets hit by GMB and Crystal, Serena eyes her: Ok Ok it was a bad joke sorry. Oww…Wow I got a new reviewer Fireworkmage who left me a review for every chap practically Lol Thanks. StormPhoenix and Luv2Game, you must read my mind sometimes hmm…I won't say anything just read on.**

**The trains were being stupid so I couldn't get to work and I was like Yay now I can go home and write that chap before ppl kill me.**

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**Chapter 15**

Ashelin pulled fiercely on the clasps wringing her red sore wrists and ankles. She used all the breath in her lungs to scream to him but the gag in her mouth muffled her desperate cries. Her spirit fell when she locked gazes with him and she saw the despair in his sea blue eyes. He had seen her injured before but this was different. It was obvious she was helpless and tortured even though she was unconscious through most of it. He wouldn't know that though. Her eyes burned when she saw the look on his face, observing the marks on her body. She had never wanted him to see her in such a state. She knew it pained him to see the cuts and bruises that would probably scar her body. Still she pushed that aside and screamed. He could not understand her.

Her eyes widened as she saw the glowing red dot aim at his forehead. She yanked her body forward as tears were brimming at her eyelids. Her teeth bit down on the gag in her mouth and her gums stung. Her nails dug into her almost bleeding palms that matched the color of her wrists.

_Please, Torn, move out of the way! He's up there! Please!_

Her eyes squeezed shut when she saw him look up, realizing the sniper's aim was on his forehead. She didn't want to see, she couldn't bare to see it. She heard a grunt and opened her eyes, trying to stretch her neck upwards and see what was happening above her. Did someone find the sniper?

It happened so fast, too fast for her eyes to follow. Her head fell as the pieces of glass flew above her. The gunshot echoed in the warehouse and right as she spun her head up again she watched Torn roll onto the ground to escape the flying bullet. It grazed his cheek and right as a small feeling of relief spread through her, it was quickly brought to a harsh halt.

Her eyes widened as the next gunshot came from nearby her. She looked up at Cutter who was now smiling deviously and unmasked. A stream of smoke rose from the end of his pistol. Her body began to tremble as the fear rose up in her.

_No! It can't be…_

Her head slowly turned to where he was and her worst fears were confirmed. She watched him grasp his chest in surprise and she watched the hope in his eyes fade once he looked onto his bloody palms. His hands trembled as he stared onto the blood from his chest wound. He looked up at her and she finally released the tears that were holding themselves at the brink of her jade eyes. She felt the warm salty tears rushing down her cheeks and her vision blurred.

She had never cried like this before, except from the time her mother had died and her father showed no remorse. This was a pain she hadn't felt in years and a pain she hoped she'd never feel again until now. It was a pain far worse than when she witnessed the death of her friend, Cutter's brother, Guts. She felt as if her lungs were crashing in and she couldn't catch her breath through the constant tears that were blinding her.

_Torn no! You can't leave me! You said you'd never leave me! You said you'd keep me safe! _

"Torn!" A masculine voice called out from above before a familiar body came crashing through one of the sunroofs. His body transformed as he fell and his call turned into an animalistic roar. His skin grew white and his cerulean eyes were purged to reveal the deep blackness beneath it. His fingers sharpened into claws and the ottsel on his shoulder trembled in fear. He had never seen his companion so angry to the point that his gritting fangs seemed as if they were foaming. Blood trickled from his gums as he clenched his fangs at his surroundings and growled. The demon landed on his feet, not too far from Torn's lifeless body.

She tried to blink the tears from her eyes to clear her vision as she screamed with all her might, screamed out his name. She was now living the nightmare that he said would never happen. She watched as his body fell onto the concrete and the crimson surrounded his body. She watched helplessly as she saw his fingers clawing at the earth, clawing for every last breath until they stopped. He lay face down on the floor away from her and his body stopped rising. He stopped breathing.

_No, don't go! I love you too much! I can't-_

She shook her head ferociously and somehow managed to pull the gag down to her neck. She opened her mouth to scream but only silence escaped it. She tried again and her voice cracked barely above a screeching whisper, "Torn!"

The men surrounded Jak now in his Dark Eco form as he eyed his prey. His black eyes showed blood thirst and he licked his lips from his hunger to kill. Jak lashed forward and began to claw at every man in his sight, throwing them across the warehouse against walls and each other as he easily dodged the numerous bullets unloading from their weapons. Their frightened screams were heard as his claws cut through their chests and he threw them around without mercy, without remorse. Within a few seconds, his clothes were soaked with blood and it was all from them. They continued to run toward him and he pounded his chest, roaring with power before he sunk his claws and fangs into them one by one. There were too many and they prevented him from reaching Torn's body. Still he did not stop; he was possessed by his anger.

Meanwhile before Jak had jumped in through the sunroof with Daxter, Jinx had watched the whole thing play out. While he was planting the last of the explosives on the roof he failed to notice the sniper on the side of the building before it was too late. He shot him in his shoulder but the man had already pulled the trigger. His eyes widened as he watched his long time companion get shot by Cutter while dodging the sniper. That was when Jak yelled out to him and jumped through the roof. Jinx snarled in anger and without a second thought, he grabbed the sniper who was lying on the cold metal of the staircase floor, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He grabbed his head and swiftly spun it harshly; a slight crack ceased the man's breathing. He didn't care if breaking his neck was too cruel. He scrambled up to the roof once again as Jak began to tear apart all the goons in the warehouse. He grabbed the control he had made and slid back down onto the staircase, kneeling on his knees as he pressed it.

A loud explosion echoed through the night. Birds flocked away from the deafening noise. Fiery orange flames rose up and sent sparks and clouds of smoke to rise into the sky. The two units of FL men lifted their heads up. They were already kneeling down, hiding beneath the grass blades not too far from the warehouse. They awaited the signal and there it was.

Anya and Seij looked at one another briefly before jumping to their feet. "For our city!" yelled Seij. Jigs and Myke had done the same. "And for each other!" responded Jigs. All four nodded as they screamed and cocked their weapons, leading their two units of men, "Charge!" Their war cries announced their arrival and lit their spirits with hope of victory.

As they approached the warehouse they began shooting down the men trying to escape the raging demon inside. They felt the heat of the flames through their helmets and screams of fear and battle cries were heard from inside the walls. As the battle started outside, the remaining men charged into the warehouse.

Ashelin still stood speechless, trying to overcome being mute from shock. She still pulled at her clasps with whatever energy was left in her but to no avail did she succeed. He still stood in front of her, his body still and his skin paling. There was so much commotion going on with Jak tearing everyone apart and the rest of the FL participating in the full-fledged battle. Gunshots and screams filled the air and blood spattered freely against the walls and one another. The strong familiar stench of death filled her nostrils and made her stomach churn. She couldn't hear if any sound was escaping her quivering lips. She couldn't even hear herself think.

Cutter pulled out a machine gun and smiled deviously as he shot through the crowd of men, not caring if his own men were in the way. Bodies hit the floor and flew past one another. Cutter laughed as he unloaded all his ammo onto the unsuspecting men fighting for their lives amongst each other.

Her chest rose fast as she wheezed and hyperventilated. His cold golden eyes met hers and he brought his gun to his side. He made his way to her quickly and grabbed the back of her crimson hair. She gasped in pain and she felt the wound in the back of her head re-opening. He yelled into her ear, "Look at that, all these men dying for just you and for nothing because you're still gonna die"

Now that her mouth was free to speak, she couldn't. She wanted to curse at him; she wanted to spit at him. Yet the only thing she cared about was Torn. His body was still lying on the floor lost in the crowd and lifeless. All she wanted was to run to him and cradle him in her arms. Whisper her last words of love to him and shake his heavy body in hopes that he would magically revive. She knew there was no way he could've survived such a direct gunshot and even if it didn't hit any vital organs, without immediate medical attention, he'd be dead from blood loss.

Anya was amongst the crowd, shooting almost blindly at any threatening figure that approached her. She yelled as she shot, pouring all of her energy into killing every last one of these scumbags that threatened her city. Suddenly she felt something slither around her neck and yank her back ferociously. It was Edje's whip around her neck. She gagged as she clenched the leather wrapped around her neck to prevent it from digging deeper into her skin.

She dropped her gun and quickly reached for the pocketknife she kept on her for emergencies. She turned her body towards Edje as he pulled her toward him with his whip. He smiled almost lustfully as he pulled her helmet off to see her paling face. Her silver blue hair came spilling out and he smiled with satisfaction. It seemed he had a fetish for hurting and killing women and picked her out for that reason. Right as he was about to yank the whip and break her neck she stabbed her knife full force into his abdomen. His eyes bulged as they both fell to their knees; she released herself from his grasp, gasping for air. Edje crawled away from her, clutching his stomach wound thanks to her.

Seij came running to her through the crowd as soon as he saw Edje's whip wrapped around her neck. He dropped to his knees, "Are you alright?" and she nodded.

She struggled to stand up and before she could fully gain her composure she saw another man running to them at full speed. She was now unarmed and there was no time to jump for her gun.

Her pink lips let out a gasp as she watched him cock his weapon and pull the trigger at Seij who was blocking their path. Without another thought she pushed his body aside with all her strength. Seij's body slid onto the floor as she felt the sharp pain shoot through her side. Her head jerked back as her body fell. Her silver strands fell over her eyes as her head crashed onto the concrete.

"NOOO!" Seij screamed as he shot mercilessly at the man who had just shot Anya. The man was already dead with Seij's first shot but Seij emptied all his ammo on him as he watched his body rattle in the air from his gunshots. When his body finally hit the floor, Seij scrambled to Anya who was lying nearby, clutching the pouring crimson from her side. He lifted her body into his arms and he dragged them into a corner where they could be hidden from harm. He brushed the silver strands from her face as he rocked her in his arms. He removed his helmet before his large hand cupped over hers on her bleeding side.

"What the f-ck Anya! Why'd you have to go and do that!" he screamed at her as his caramel eyes burned.

She laughed weakly, "I guess…I'm so used to being the man remember?"

"Idiot! That's what I'm here for! Get used to it! You're my partner, my best friend- you're my-" The end of his sentence was cut off by his quivering voice. He was trying to control his emotions.

She coughed and a light stream of blood trickled from the side of her lips. He quickly pulled out a small vial of Green Eco he had in his armor and popped the top open with his teeth. He briefly released his grasp on her side to pour the bubbling liquid onto her wound. She winced at the sting of it on her body and he quickly threw the vial to clutch her side again. The Green Eco would slow it down a bit but he knew in time she would need more than that.

He raised her head to his so their foreheads touched and his eyes squinted shut, "Anya, no…I love you" His black ponytail fell over his shoulder and onto her cheek as she smiled up at him, bringing her trembling hand to brush the hair on his jaw line. He pleaded, "Anya, hold on okay? Just a little longer"

Edje pushed past the bodies and scrambling feet around him as he crawled on the floor. He hacked up blood as he desperately tried to escape. He still gripped his precious whip until a foot suddenly stomped onto his knuckles. He felt the bones in his hand crackle and break one by one as the foot continued to press and stomp onto it. He yelped out in pain as he looked up. His eyes widened when he met the cold black ones staring down at him. Blood dripped from his fangs and Edje shook his head in fear.

"So you're the one who whipped her?" The demon growled at him and Edje shook. Jak bent down to lift Edje's trembling body in his claw. He snatched the whip from him so that he could wrap it around Edje's body. Jak smiled sadistically as Edje had done to Anya and to Ashelin.

Edje's screams pierced through the already loud and war ridden warehouse. It seemed that Edje had finally met someone with a fetish of his own. Jak enjoyed killing the prey that hurt or killed those he cared about. His blood and limbs spattered across the building and Jak had finally showed him his demise.

Jigs and Myke stood close since they didn't have much battle experience. It was the most horrific experience they had ever witnessed. They shot desperately for their lives and tried to maintain their sanity and concentration. The unfamiliar stench of blood stung their eyes and noses. Their stomachs were weak and they tasted the bitter acid in the back of their throats from the sight of the bodies and loose limbs around them.

Myke's hand grabbed Jigs shoulder roughly spinning him to look at what was in front of them. His finger trembled as he pointed and Jigs' eyes lay upon where Myke's was. Their hearts dropped along with their hopes as they saw the lifeless familiar body laying face down on the floor. They ran toward it and dropped to their knees. Tears welt up beneath their helmets as they stared at the cold body of their commander who had believed in them. Their hands soaked in the blood coming from his body.

"No, it can't be!" Jigs stared, lost in disbelief.

A scream caused them to lift their heads up again. It was their governor. "Jigs, we have to get the governor! We have to do it for him!"

Jigs nodded and him and Myke stood up, cocking their weapons and charging through the crowds toward the direction of Ashelin's screams.

Cutter's blade ripped through her leg as she screamed, not from pain, but screaming out his name. Her voice was weak and couldn't make it clear through her sobs. The pain Cutter was inflicting on her was numb. She saw two FL soldiers desperately trying to make it to her but the crowd was preventing them.

Cutter finally grew angry that she wasn't paying him any attention and the pain he was trying to inflict has no effect. He snarled before bringing to knife to her chest. "No more games. Goodbye Ashelin"

Ashelin had already used up all her energy. She gave up trying to pull herself off the wall. Her body was in pain; everything inside her was in pain. She finally realized Cutter was going to give her the final blow and bring her to her death. She had to try, try one last time. She took a deep breath and through her sobs, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Cutter raised the knife into the air.

Myke and Jigs realized Cutter was about to stab their governor in the chest and yelled, "No! Governor!"

"TORN!" she screeched and just as the knife was about to plunge into her chest a loud roar rumbled through the warehouse. It brought all the commotion to a halt as everyone looked around for its source with surprised eyes. It struck fear into every living soul and was unfamiliar.

Jinx was on the upper level fighting alongside his FL comrades and looked to Jak below. Jak looked up to Jinx, his black eyes just as wide as his. Daxter trembled in fear again, this time clenching Jak's ear as he stood on his shoulder.

They heard the demonic roar again, somewhere hidden and lost amongst the crowd. It was then that they had realized, the roar that had erupted through the warehouse, it didn't belong to Jak…

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**LOOONG chapter! I really tried my best with the battle scene. I'll probably continue to work on it and if I can make it better I can re-post the better version another time but for now this is it. Intense huh? Lots of things going on at the same time. Hope it wasn't confusing. I wanna write more so hopefully by later today or tomorrow I'll add another chapter. **


	16. Chapter 16 : Her calls for him

**No point in saying anything, I know you wanna see what happens. On with it!**

**------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 16**

His world turned black and his body sunk into the pool of his own blood. His body spun endlessly in what felt like an eternal passage of time. He landed onto what felt like a glass floor and it sent goose bumps along his skin. His heavy eyelids fluttered open but were only greeted by a deep darkness. His body was bare and the crimson pool had vanished. He looked upon his chest and no marks were visible. All pain from his body had gone numb. He looked around him but found nothing.

_Where…am I?_

He scratched the brown locks on his head as he went into deep thought. His eyes widened as the memories came flooding back to him.

_Ashelin! Where is she? Am I dead?_

His head fell in despair. He felt helpless and stared at the palms of his hands. He sighed in frustration. He felt his deep blue eyes burning with emotion. It was lonely. It was cold. It was silent. It was dark. There was nothing preventing him from containing himself anymore. There was no image he had to keep up or people looking unto him for his authority. He let the drops of tears well up at the brinks of his eyes and stream down his cheeks. There weren't many and his face did not quiver but he felt the pain. The pain throbbed in his chest from losing her and not keeping her safe.

He spoke to the nothingness engulfing him, "Ashelin, if I could come back I'd…I swear I'll keep you safe. I swear, I'll never let you go"

His hands trembled as they formed into clenching fists. There were no walls to punch and no one to vent his frustrations to. It was then that he heard it. His ears perked up as he listened. It was faint but he heard it. It was his name. A feeling of relief spread through him as he rushed toward the sound. Within a few seconds he dropped to his knees as he clutched his chest, feeling the pain increase as he approached the sound.

_I don't care about the pain. I must follow that sound._

He stood back up and walked toward it. The burning was returning to his lungs and his mouth was slowly growing dry. His stomach was beginning to churn and his chest throbbed. He saw the crimson begin to leak from his chest but he did not stop. He continued on with a look of determination on his face. His eyes widened once he realized the voice's source.

_Ashelin! It's Ashelin!_

He forced his body to run at full force as the sound grew louder. A light shone brightly and grew as he approached it. The pain was returning but he had to go on. He heard it, he heard her, calling out for him.

He wasn't sure what happened next. All he knew as that he was blinded by the light. Then he heard his own heartbeat, thumping and echoing loudly in his own ears. He felt a surge of fresh blood flowing through his veins. The pain that was in his body was growing numb and transforming into a hunger. It was a hunger for blood. His nostrils inhaled the smell that seemed somehow pleasing to him. He heard her call again.

"TORN!"

His eyes shot open and on some sort of animalistic instinct that he had never had before, he pounced up onto the ceiling unnoticed and quicker than the speed of sound. The anger in his body rose as he laid eyes upon her below, crying helplessly as Cutter was about to plunge a knife into her heaving chest. Torn licked his lips and roared, roared with all the anger and might in his lungs.

Everything in the warehouse was brought to a sudden halt. Cutter stopped the knife in midair and looked around, confused. His golden eyes glistened with fear along with everyone else in the room with the exception of Jak. Jak had locked eyes with Jinx on the upper level and finally locked eyes with a familiar yet horrific creature latching onto the ceiling.

Jak's black eyes widened as he gazed onto a pair matching his own. There he was, Torn was alive but somehow in Dark Eco form. His skin was white and his brown locks had transformed to the color of charcoal. Two gray horns curled from his temples. Electricity flickered across his pupils and the black ink from his tattoos contrasted with his pale skin. It was no wonder his skin had grown so pale, it wasn't from death but from his slow transformation.

Jak should've been relieved to see his friend alive but he wasn't. He knew the stages of Dark Eco all too well. While undergoing the Baron's experiments himself, the early stages included the sickly feelings and eventually death or Dark Eco form. One or the other came first. Even if the body transformed successfully, the temporary strain on the body and blood vessels from the Dark Eco and transformation would kill the host later on. So even though Torn was now alive and crawling on the ceiling in Dark Eco form, it only meant that if his body wasn't strong enough, he'd die after the Eco wore out. Also most men successfully past the stages of Dark Eco form and escaping death, gained animal instinct that could not be controlled. Therefore the Baron killed those subjects as they were too savage to use to his advantage. If Torn survived, could he control the blood thirst within him? Would he be able to keep his sanity?

Torn's body fell into the crowd as he began violently thrashing through men with his claws. He enjoyed the warmth on his claws from being buried into their bleeding chests. He roared and was met with a sudden pounce from Jak. They landed roughly onto the concrete as Jak tumbled on top of him.

Daxter had long released his companion's shoulder and ran up to Jinx at the sight of Torn's Dark Eco form. He left behind a sarcastic yet fearful remark before scurrying away, knowing Jak was about to attack Torn, "I do not wanna f-ck with that! Hell no!" He crawled up to Jinx's shoulder on the upper level that was staring with his jaw hanging at Torn up on the ceiling. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Jak attack Torn once he landed on the ground.

"Count me out!" Daxter finished and Jinx responded, "You got that right!"

Jak's dripping fangs hung over Torn's face that was also flashing his long sharp fangs. His gaze met with Torn's and although they could not speak words in this form, the look in his eyes would tell Jak if Torn was sane or not. He searched his eyes for some sort of human emotion and Torn growled in warning at Jak. It seemed that Torn did not have control over his bloodthirsty instinct but if that was the case, why did he awaken at the sound of Ashelin's screams?

Right as Torn was about to raise his claw to plunge into Jak's skull he heard it again.

"TORN!" Ashelin screamed as Cutter stood stiff, still in shock and holding the knife near her. Her wide jade eyes shook with fear as she looked upon the man she loved, now a screeching demon who was just latched to the ceiling moments ago.

Torn turned his head to the blade in Cutter's fist and roared. Jak knew Torn had regained his sanity, if only for a moment it was okay, Ashelin was keeping him at bay. Jak pounced off him and back into the crowds of men that were now trying to shoot at the two demons. Torn jumped to his feet and on all fours began to run toward Cutter. Cutter let out a frightened squeal before he cocked his machine gun and ran toward the upper level staircase.

Torn rushed up to the trembling woman's body, still clasped onto the brick wall by steel bonds. He used his claws to thrash through the steel and her weak body fell forward. He caught her in his large white arms before she hit the ground and she gasped. Her wide eyes met his cold black ones. He saw the fear in her unsure eyes, unsure if he was the Torn she had always loved or an untamed animal.

She hesitated at first but slowly raised her hand to cup the demon's face. She gulped nervously before she whispered, "T-Torn? Is that- is that you?"

His eyes closed to the warmth of her hand. His body felt warm and relaxed at her touch. He couldn't speak but in his thoughts he answered her lovingly. _Yeah, it's me Ash…_

As she felt his body relax and saw his eyes close to her touch, she knew that it was him. She knew deep down, beneath that horrific exterior, lied her commander, her best friend and her lover. A weak smile spread across her lips, "Well I'll be damned"

His eyes shot open and anger resurfaced through his eyes. One name flashed through his mind. _Cutter!_

He placed her gently on the floor before pouncing onto the brick wall behind her. He crawled up onto the upper level and away from Ashelin's sight. She tried to call out to him but he had already disappeared.

The two FL soldiers from earlier came running to her aid. One said, "Are you alright governor?"

She nodded as she looked onto them in question. "I'm Myke, this is Jigs. We've come to escort you safely outta here"

She shook her head, "No, what about To- I mean the commander? Someone needs to go after him"

Jak saw Torn jump out through a back window moments ago. He moved to stop him but was quickly interrupted by more men attacking him. He threw them aside and his eyes saw the bodies around him. Too many people were injured, too many people were dying, and the stench of death was too strong. If he didn't do something, his blood thirst would soon give into his surroundings.

He heard the pleading cries of his fellow comrades, shaking already dead bodies or clenching onto ones who were at the near brink of death's door.

_Please wake up!_

_We must keep fighting!_

_My leg! I can't walk!_

_Please leave me behind! Save yourself!_

_No, don't leave me!_

_I- I don't wanna die!_

_Anya, stay with me, I'm here!_

The voices clouded his throbbing head and Jak couldn't take it any longer. It was too much. He allowed the Dark Eco to simmer from his veins as he brought another power to rise within him.

Anya's eyes were beginning to grow heavy but Seij shook her in his arms. His brows furrowed as he looked at her, "Stay with me Anya, don't close your eyes"

It was then that the world around them was brought to a halt. A bright blue hued light blinded their eyes. Time had ceased around them and a cooling, almost drowsy feeling spread through his body. He watched as Anya's eyes fell closed and struggled to keep his own from falling.

The last thing he saw before his world turned black was a large blue angel, floating above them. His skin was pale and his eyes were white with sincerity. His large graceful wings spread out from his spine and even though he held an almost dying woman in his arms, he somehow trusted that if he allowed his eyes to fall, that everything would be alright. Finally his eyelids fell and a soothing dream greeted him.

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**So are you happy now? Well it ain't over yet remember? Torn hasn't fully escaped death yet but Ashelin is ok now. Isn't Torn the coolest in Dark Eco form?**


	17. Chapter 17 : Finally the Man

**WOOH Cutter's gonna get it now…this will bring all the excitement down now. Everyone, thanks for reviewing through out this story and of course I will giving ya your props by name in my last chap cuz that's what I like to do. (watch all these reviewers who didn't review before pop up now lol) Anyway time to read.**

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**Chapter 17**

He ran at full speed through the long sharp grass blades away from the warehouse. His legs felt like heavy weights as he lifted them. The cold wind scraped his cheeks as he ran. His heartbeat pumped ferociously as his lungs struggled to breathe. His legs trembled with fear and he used all his energy to keep his balance. Sweat trickled from his body. He'd look back behind him for the slightest movements hidden beneath the grass and increased speed as he did. He held his gun close to him, trying to get as far as he could, far enough so that he would escape, escape the demon.

His heart jumped once he heard the ruffling in the grass behind him followed by a hungry growl. He gasped in fear as his running became swifter. His adrenaline pumped through his veins.

He couldn't see it but the sounds alone made him realize that it was behind him. He couldn't call it a _he_ any more; it wasn't human enough to be called such a thing. He saw the way it's sharp claws sunk into countless bodies and the way it would pass its tongue along its sharp bloody fangs in pleasure. He saw death reflecting in its cold flickering onyx eyes. He saw the blood lust and the anger erupt once it laid its eyes on him, his prey.

He had crossed its territory, tried to kill its mate and now he regretted it. He regretted his plots for revenge and for power. He regretted not giving its woman back when he had the chance before it had transformed into some monster he'd never seen before. He had heard stories about a Dark Eco form before and that was why he made the main racer of Rayn's team one of his targets but he had no idea that there were two demons among the group. If he had known, he would've never crossed that path and angered it. He would've never provoked it to come after him. Now it was too late.

He felt like a small animal running helplessly through the wilderness with no one to come to his aid. His machine gun was almost out of ammo and he had left his knife behind. He heard its footsteps increasing and he knew that it was close, slowly stalking his prey, waiting until the right moment to pounce on him.

As his life flashed before his eyes along with his numerous regrets it was then that he heard it. He heard a loud animalistic roar echo around him and he stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of where it was coming from. He backed up against a tree trunk, looking around frantically. Suddenly a long white arm came rushing down from the branches above him, digging its sharp nails into his shoulder.

Cutter yelled out in pain. He couldn't move. His gun dropped beside him. Another claw grabbed his neck and he was lifted up into the darkness of the large tree. His eyes met a pair of glowing black eyes, flickering with lightning across its pupils. He watched its mouth grin and its white fangs come into view, crimson drops at its tips.

He waved his hands helplessly in front of him, "I'm sorry, I should've never kidnapped your governor. If you let me go, you'll never see my face again"

Torn could not talk in this form and kept his mind focused on controlling the demonic urges rising within him. He knew he needed to keep sane.

_You didn't just kidnap her! You tried to kill her! You hurt her!_

Cutter realized the monster wasn't responding, "She killed my brother, I needed to avenge his death" He was now angry and losing his fear.

Torn had heard the story about Guts, after all Ashelin shared her most darkest secrets and painful moments with him. He was the one who held her as she vented out her past to him, for the first time in her life. He was the only one she had told.

_She didn't kill your brother! You did! He only tried to keep you out of trouble and he sacrificed his life willingly for his city, for his honor, for your sake!_

"Even if you kill me now for what I've done, I know my brother would've wanted me to do what I did. To kill her for letting him die and betraying him!"

_The only person that left him to die was you…it's a shame you'll never know. He was a good man._

"She deserved it! She deserved everything that was done to her! Living the princess life, having a city bow down to her along with its people! That bitch had it coming!" Cutter had lost all fear. He was now staring death in the face, literally.

_You don't know anything about her! About the way she was mistreated growing up! How she watched her mother die and her father not give a damn, how she watched so many people die and faced death too many times to count! She bows down to the city's people, not the other way around! You know nothing!_

"Go ahead and kill me! I don't care anymore because someone else, someday who shares a hatred for her just as I, will come and get her, come to kill her just as I have done"

Torn couldn't bear to hear anymore. He was losing control over his gruesome urges.

_And if that day comes, I'll make sure I'll be by her side to kill the son of a bitch! I'm sorry Guts but your brother won't be meeting you in his death, I'm sending him to hell!_

Without a second thought Torn stabbed his claws into Cutter's chest. Cutter's eyes bulged and blood coughed from his gasping lips. Torn snarled as his claws sunk deeper into the warmth of him, through his skin, through his muscles and finally piercing his lungs. Their eyes stood locked in hatred until Cutter's golden eyes rolled back revealing the lifeless white flesh beyond his pupils. He was dead. He'd never come to harm Ashelin again.

Torn released his claws from the lifeless body and jumped out from the tree. He left Cutter's body hanging from the branches, leaving it as supper for the vultures. His body wasn't worth retrieving for a proper burial.

As the murderous intent and adrenaline slowly wore off, the pain in his body began to return. He raised his claw to his leaking chest wound from earlier as he felt the burning inside of his lungs and the thrashing in his stomach. He was feeling the effects of the Dark Eco more now. His vision began to blur as he approached the warehouse. It seemed the sounds of war had vanished. He didn't know who won or who was alive. He couldn't tell if the human shapes of blur approaching him were on his side or his enemy. All he knew for sure was that his body was growing weak with each passing step.

A few feet from the warehouse his body crashed into the soft patches of grass. His body slowly melted down into human form as he gasped for clear breaths of air. His blue eyes looked up at the white speckles across the indigo sky. The breeze cooled the sweat on his face. His hand weakly reached up into the air and was unexpectedly grasped by someone else's hand.

"Torn! What's wrong?" the frantic female voice called out to him.

He turned his face to look up at her, kneeling beside his body but his eyes only allowed him to see a blur of colors. He recognized the mixture of crimson and the black curves on the woman's face. He saw her lips quiver slightly as she squeezed his hand to the warmth of her damp cheek.

_Man, I've never seen her shed so many tears so openly. I feel like kicking myself in the ass now…_

"Ash, I'm glad you're ok" Those were his last words to her before his eyelids fell. Her screams and sobs once again echoed in his mind until he heard no more.

He didn't know how long he was dwelling within the darkness of his own unconsciousness, but in time, his eyelids lifted heavily open. A bright light made his eyes squint and his head throb. All he could make out was the white sheets covering his body and the people shuffling past him in white coats. He heard unfamiliar voices. He perked his ears up slightly to listen.

_It's amazing how he made it._

_Yeah after we had to purge the Eco from his blood stream, he could've died if they didn't bring him in on time._

_Still…I'm surprised his body was able to withstand that long. Normally he should've died before even reaching the transformation stages._

_He should've gone insane even after transforming but somehow he controlled his animal instincts. That's a very rare case. However unlike that other fellow that came in with him, he'll be unable to transform at his own will. There wasn't enough Eco to give him that ability and I'm sure if he took a higher dosage, he definitely would've been dead._

_Not to mention the gunshot wound to his chest made everything worse. Seems like the lucky bastard escaped death more than once. Wonder what kept him going?_

Torn was too weak to smile. He thought to himself. It was Ashelin that kept him going. He held onto every breath of life and every drop of energy in him until he knew that she was safe. His eyelids grew heavy again and now that he knew he was alive, he let them fall willingly. He hoped that the next time he opened his eyes; it would be Ashelin by his side.

As Torn drifted into deep sleep, he dreamed of her. He revisited their memories in his dreams. A familiar warmth greeted his cheek and caused him to open his eyes once again. This time there was no light to blind him and the room seemed dark. An electronic beeping was heard next to him. The pale moonlight shone through the large window by the hospital bed. His body shifted slightly within the white sheets as he turned his face towards the warmth. His vision cleared as it gazed upon a shape laid out in front of him. He tried to form a weak smile with whatever energy he could stir up within him.

"Nice to see you awake commander" Ashelin smiled at him as her palm cupped his cheek. His blue eyes held bags beneath them and his smile was weak but sincere. He didn't make any effort to move much. The medications and the IV in his arm soothed many of the pains in him but she was sure he was too tired to even notice.

"Ash…" He looked up at her smiling lips and her bright jade eyes that had now glistened with a bit of hope. They were no longer the sobbing, lifeless eyes he had seen when she was tied up in the warehouse. She was back in uniform except her top now covered her navel and she had a bandage wrapped around her head.

He weakly raised his hand to her cheek and she grabbed his hand before he could. He gave her a look of concern, "Your head…"

She laughed slightly. "Don't worry, it's just a slight concussion but I'm ok now. How are you feeling?"

He smiled wider, "I feel like shit"

She laughed again, "I'm glad you're feeling anything, even if it is shit"

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other through the darkness of the room, with only the moonlight to shine on their faces. Ashelin held his hand on her lap as she sat next to him on the side of his hospital bed.

"Wha- what happened? How did I make it?"

She turned away and rolled her eyes, "Trust me, you don't wanna know"

He squeezed her hand gently in his, "No, tell me. I wanna know"

She faced him again, "Well it seemed that we got a get away ride just in time to rush you to the hospital" He raised a confused brow at her and she finished, "Razer came crashing through the warehouse walls in his Havoc, shooting down every last scumbag left alive with his smug little laugh and grin. He was like _Don't get me wrong; I'm only here following Boss' orders. I only do whatever pleases her_. I really didn't wanna get in the car but since you were already unconscious and your pulse was slowing I had no choice. Jak and Jinx were already busy tending to the injured"

Torn cringed, "Now I wish I never asked. I would've rather died than owe that asshole my life"

"Oh don't worry. He said you didn't owe him anything except to keep your filthy rude cigar smoking soldier away from his lady," she laughed. It seemed that Razer was talking about Jinx who he had heard was hitting on Rayn on their last mission to Kras City. That was Jinx for you, a ladies man where ever he went.

"How long have I been out?"

"About four days"

Torn's eyes widened, "Shit, four days. You know how much still needs to be done! Who's out there while we're in-" her finger pressed gently on his lips to hush his rambling. She leaned closer toward his face.

"Don't worry. The rest of the FL along with Jak and Jinx are doing just fine taking care of the city while we recover"

Torn's body relaxed as he let his head sink into the pillow. She removed her finger from his lips and down to tickle beneath his chin. There was another long silence.

"Torn…"

He turned his head to her once again in question. She leaned her forehead to press against his. He felt her bandages on his forehead and the heat of her breathing upon his face. Her lips began to quiver slightly as she gazed into him.

"Thank you" Her eyes closed, trying to contain tears from welling up.

Torn raised his hand to her cheek. "Ash, you don't have to- Come on, you know crying ain't you-"

She raised her finger to hush him again so she could continue, "I know- it's just that…I thought you were dead. And even when you came back I thought you had gone insane and from going insane I thought you were going to die again and I-"

Torn didn't want to hear it anymore. He was still too weak to lift his heavy throbbing head from the pillow so instead he pulled her down to him. He pressed his lips against hers to stop the words from spilling out of them. After a few moments of sinking into the mood of their loving kiss, he broke away and whispered between them, "I couldn't die until I knew you were safe. I wanted to stay true to my word. I promised you that"

She nodded and he continued, "Now that it's all over and even after I recover, I want you to know that no matter what, even when you're being stubborn or whatever the odds are, I will never die. I will not die unless you are right beside me"

She titled her head as she looked at him. She smiled, "Torn, I love you"

Those were words only shared between them in the privacy of their bed sheets, hidden from prying eyes. Yet even though they both had their pride and their images to maintain in the FL, that was now the least of their concerns. After nearing death so much within the past few days, they had forgotten their old ways and here they were, openly expressing their love to one another.

"I love you too Ash" Torn smiled back. He grunted painfully as he struggled to shift his body over and even though Ashelin seemed to object at first, she allowed it. She turned around and lifted her legs into the sheets beside him, slipping off her hospital slippers in the process. He covered her in the sheet with his free arm and she rested her arm on his crimson stained bandages wrapped on his chest and abdomen. Her head rested on his shoulder and his arm draped around her shoulder, tickling the side of her ruby hair.

"Are you sure this is ok? Don't you think the doctors might freak out a bit with the discovery of their city's governor sleeping beside her commander" he teased her.

She shrugged, "F-ck it" She tickled his chest with her fingertips as they closed their eyes. It was so good to be back home and most of all be alive. Torn took one last gaze on her sleeping curves and peaceful face before he slipped back into slumber. She had finally let her guard down and let him be what he should've been to her all along, he was the man, the man who'd protect his woman always.

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**HEY the story ain't over yet so you better not stop reading Lol. You still don't know what happens to Anya and Seij, Myke and Jigs and so many other characters. The next chap will be the last so look forward to it! You like how I threw Razer in there huh? He's Torn's lifesaver and now he's pissed ahahaha. Yay Torn's alive and with his ruby mamasita! There's so cute together aren't they?**


	18. Chapter 18 : Celebration

**I'm glad everyone was happy that Torn was alive and didn't kill me for making him a Dark Eco demon to rescue his woman. Well it all worked out wouldn't you say? Now's the time for…you guessed it, reviewer appreciation day Yay :throws confetti: Time to give props to all my faithful reviewers to here you guys are! Be sure to wave and smile!**

**StormPhoenix****, DL-Cinny-La-Mejor, Cooper fan (I could swear the name was different and it magically changed? Is that possible Lol I think I'm losing it), Ecohorse, ****mecca-dog****Luv2Game****, fireworkmage, Jaksgirl.not, SilverEyes18, Johny (anom.), GoodMorningBeautiful2005 (A very threatening one if you kill Torn Lol it was fun running from her)**

**Thanks guys for making this AshxTorn fic a success! Wave like Ms. America now!**

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**Chapter 18**

A familiar vibration shook the lobby walls of the palace. The floors pumped with beats and colorful lights flickered around the large room. Numerous round tables were pulled out and arranged against the walls with chairs. The lobby was brimming with the crowding soldiers and citizens of Haven City. Everyone was enjoying themselves as they watched the popular orange ottsel spin records at his DJ table wearing his large sunglasses and wide grin. The blond ottsel stood by his side, shaking her hips and wearing a slimmer pair of matching sunglasses.

"Oh yeah! DJ Orange Lightning's in the house!" Daxter scratched the beat to encourage the crowd and they cheered him on. Jak was leaning against a wall with his arm draped around his turquoise headed mechanic, her head rested on his shoulder. She playfully flicked the golden medal hanging from his neck. He rolled his eyes as he watched his best friend turn the palace lobby into a nightclub. Torn and Ashelin had allowed it as a celebration party for the success of their mission and to praise those soldiers who took part in the battle. They held an award ceremony earlier and were now enjoying the reception.

"Having a good time?" Torn placed a reassuring hand on Jak's shoulder. Jak nodded and Keira gave Jak a quick squeeze as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah just glad everyone's alive"

Torn nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you're not kidding"

"Thanks to your Dark Eco raid I really thought you were either dead or gone insane"

Torn shrugged his shoulders. "Take it easy" He left Jak and Keira to cuddle against the wall as he approached another familiar figure across the room. He was easy to spot with the cigar smoke circling him and his drunken laughter echoing around him. However Torn was surprised to see that the usual swarm of women was not surrounding him, this time only a single woman graced his arm as she laughed beside him.

"I see someone is taking advantage of the liquor," Torn teased as Jinx exhaled the cigar smoke from his grinning lips. The black curls of the woman beside him sprawled out on his shoulder as she tickled his chest affectionately. He too had a golden medal hanging from his neck. Jinx put out the cigar in the ashtray in the center of their table.

"Hey Omoi, doing well?" Torn greeted Omoi who nodded at him in reply.

"Yeah, no problem. There's nothing wrong with having a couple of drinks with sweet cheeks over here" He flicked her chin playfully and she giggled.

Ashelin appeared behind Torn, leaning her chin on his shoulder, "A couple of drinks you say?" They all laughed because they knew that Jinx was a heavy drinker and _a couple_ was not the words used to describe the amount of liquor he chugged down.

Jinx pulled Omoi closer to him as Ashelin led Torn away from them. It seemed that the playboy Jinx had finally found a woman to keep his interest to her and her alone. No one expected the once crying helpless woman who served as a decoy during the governor's kidnapping to now be laughing and sharing drinks with one of the most popular men in the FL. Maybe Jinx had discovered something in her that the others hadn't seen during the time he was ordered to watch over her. Either way, it was nice to see him settle down. Maybe she'd help control his bad habits.

Ashelin pulled Torn through the crowd of dancing people, slowly and cautiously. They're bodies were still sore from the battle two weeks ago so they were not fully recovered. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. The city was now at ease.

"I told you Anya, you can't out drink me" Seij teased a blushing Anya who sat in a chair beside him. Her crutch leaned on the back of her chair with both of their golden medals dangling from it. She raised another small shot glass full of bubbling golden liquid to her lips and chugged it down in a second.

"When are you gonna accept that I'm more man than you?" She winked at him as she slammed the glass back on the table to refill it with the bottle next to it.

Seij released an arrogant laugh, "Yeah? We'll see how man you are when we get to my place and I take that crutch from you" He pulled her close to him as he whispered the last of his bold statement in her ear. He twirled a lock of her sweet smelling silver strands in his fingers as his arm rested on top of her chair.

"Now that's not fair, taking advantage of the injured" She winked at him again as her cheeks grew redder. She kept her flirtatious gaze on his caramel eyes.

"Oh but I thought you said you was the man, now you're injured ey?" He pushed her forehead with his playfully before he backed away again.

She fumbled with her fingers in front of her innocently, her golden eyes glistening and growing larger as she looked up at him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about"

Seij laughed again before he was tapped on the shoulder. They both looked up to see the wide grin of their trustworthy comrade beside them.

"Heya guys, some party huh?" Myke gave them both a thumbs up. His arm wrapped around the waist of an unfamiliar woman with red locks tied in pigtails. Freckles lightly spotted her golden cheeks as she grinned beside him. She waved timidly at them in greeting. She wore his golden medal tied to her blue capris proudly. It seemed that this was his girl as he had mentioned to his commander before. They made a cute couple.

Seij gave Myke a punch on the shoulder, "Where's your friend?" Myke pointed through the crowd where they spotted Jigs. Jigs was blushing red as a middle-aged woman danced nearby him with dances from over a decade ago. She was swinging his medal in the air as she swung her wide hips from side to side. It was obvious that she too, had a little too much to drink.

"Maaa, can you stop that? You're embarrassing me" Jig's frowned. She leaned over to squeeze his cheek.

"Oh I'm so proud of my boy, finally a nice strong soldier. I knew you could do it" The soldiers around them laughed as Jig's rolled his eyes shaking his head at his mother's shameful behavior.

The clamber of voices was brought to a slow halt at the sound of a tapping wine glass coming from the front of the lobby. It seemed that Torn and Ashelin had finally made it through the crowd. Ashelin was tapping her wine glass with a spoon for attention as she stood on top of a chair. The crowd simmered down and turned their attention towards their Haven City governor. Daxter turned down the music.

Once she saw the attention on her, she stepped down from the chair and handed the glass and spoon to Torn to put away. She cleared her throat. Her ruby hair was loose in curls and a smile shone from her crimson lips. She observed the faces around the room before she began her speech.

"First of all, I'd like to express my utmost appreciation to each and every individual in this room for taking place in protecting this city as well as me, your governor. I am grateful that we all made it back alive although we had sustained some serious injuries but thanks to Jak's Light Eco, many lives were saved. I've never been more proud to be your governor and have you all as my people. I wouldn't change it for the world" She looked to Torn and he stepped forward.

"My friends, you have done well and are now seen as elite soldiers in my eyes. I could not have more pride in the strength of Haven's soldiers. Because of this battle and our alliance with some of Kras City's underground lords, there should be no other man daring enough to challenge our power again. I owe that fact to each and every one of you. Together, we make Haven City what it is and we make it safe for us all to live in. Thank you" His comments were met with loud applause, cheers and whistles.

The crowd was just about to return to their rowdy behaviors before Ashelin called out once more for their attention, "Also, before anything I'd like to say one more thing for the FL on duty in the palace. I'd like to refresh your minds quickly on security procedures and the training handbook-" Her speech was met with groans and she hushed them before they could get too disappointed. Torn eyed her suspiciously, wondering why she'd do something like that now when they were supposed to be in celebration. Couldn't she save that for tomorrow?

"I'd like to apologize for my stubbornness to some of the soldiers on watch duty from before I was kidnapped. Because of that, I want to make things very clear so there will be no mistake in the future. Please refer to your handbooks if you need to. Any suspicious package, person or event brought up to me…"

The crowd stared at her, awaiting the point of her lecture. They're eyes widened and surprised gasps filled the room once they saw their governor roughly pull their unsuspecting commander into a passionate kiss. His blue eyes grew wide as she grasped his collar and pressed her lips against his for all to see. Finally getting over his shock, his body slowly relaxed as he raised his hand to place on her waist, giving into her bold action and returning her kiss. The rumors were now confirmed and there was no mistake about it. Their usually solemn and tough governor and commander were involved and it seemed that it had been that way longer than they had known. The room was filled with stunned silence as she parted her lips from his and smiled.

He smiled back and she patted his chest to finish her sentence, "Like I was saying, anything suspicious will have to go through my commander first without question. And if I am placed in any danger in the future, no matter the circumstances, all authority is granted onto the commander. Understood?"

The crowd cheered and drops of golden liquor splashed up into the air, glasses were clinging together in celebration. Ashelin raised her fist into the air, "Now back to the party" The cheers grew louder as Daxter pumped the music back up.

Ashelin leaned her forehead against Torn's, their black tattoos meeting one another. They smiled at each other, lost in their gaze. It was already obvious that they were no longer trying to maintain the secrecy of their relationship within the palace. The knowledge of their relationship would only make them stronger and strike more fear into those that would try to harm her again. His arms wrapped around her waist and her palms rested on his firm chest.

"Secret's out I guess," she whispered to him through her wide smile.

"F-ck it" He replied before he pulled her in for another kiss. This time they lingered, not caring for those around them. Everyone was too busy drinking and celebrating to dwell on the two of them. They locked in each other's arms, their lips brushing against one another's lovingly and proudly.

Ashelin allowed herself to feel safe in her commander's arms and abandon her stubborn pride. She now knew that this was the person she'd spend the rest of her life with and the person that would always back her up no matter what. Whether it was in love or in battle, now it was clear to everyone that these two were inseparable.

THE END!

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**Yay wasn't that great? Now everyone's partying and everyone has their gfs or bfs or mothers Lol. Well as I have already told you guys, I'll be taking a break from Jak and Daxter fics to try and write other things. I actually have a new idea for another story but I wanna save it for after my break. I won't tell you what it is but I'll tell you it'll star Daxter as the hero! It'll also be another JakxKeira fic. In the meantime I posted up my Kingdom Hearts 2 fic so any supporters of KHs please check it out and review it. Pretty please! It's a TifaxAxel fic cause I hate how Cloud is so absorbed in Aerith and Sephiroth that I wanted her to find someone else and Axel is the lucky guy! Wooh! Anyway stay tuned and keep Jak luvin!**


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